LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Sitting Hours

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Leader of the House, if he will give further consideration to the sitting hours of the House on Wednesdays; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The present sitting hours for Wednesdays were agreed by the House in October 2002 and were confirmed in January 2005. I have no plans to propose any changes to the current arrangements.

Bills: Programming

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Leader of the House, if he will take steps to reduce the number of Bills which are programmed.

Jack Straw: I have no plans to do so.

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Leader of the House if he will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by his Office; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Jack Straw: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons and the House authorities commissioned Domain Technologies to develop a database to allow for the electronic exchange of parliamentary questions between Government departments and the House of Commons (ePC). The current phase of development cost £34,369 (including VAT.), shared between my Office and the House authorities. Domain Technologies have also been engaged to make enhancements to my private office database which manages correspondence and briefing documents. This is at a cost of £14,558 (including VAT.).

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farming households there were in England in 2005-06.

Barry Gardiner: The June Agricultural Survey does not specifically collect data relating to farming households. The following figures show the number of registered holdings in England at June 2005 and 2006.
	
		
			   Number of holdings in England 
			 2005 195,908 
			 2006 200,381 
			  Source:  June Agricultural Survey

Angling: Licensing

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much was received from the purchase of fishing rod licences in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what the cost of collecting rod licence fees was in each of the last five years, broken down by type of cost.

Ben Bradshaw: Details on how much money was received in each of the last five years is given in the table below:
	
		
			   Rod licence income (£  million ) 
			 2002-03 16.1 
			 2003-04 17.7 
			 2004-05 18.6 
			 2005-06 19.7 
			 2006-07 20.5 
		
	
	It is not appropriate to provide details relating to the cost of collecting rod licences at this point because this information is commercially in confidence. The Environment Agency are currently in the middle of procuring a contractor to sell rod licences from April 2009.
	The Environment Agency can, however, say that the total costs for collecting licences (commission, printing, systems development, administration etc.) is less than 10 per cent. of the income brought in.

Bluetongue Disease

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many animals from northern France have been refused entry due to blue tongue exclusion rules since 17 April.

Ben Bradshaw: Current EU law says that animals originating from, or transiting through, a bluetongue restricted area can be moved only if the member state of destination gives prior authorisation. Current UK policy is not to permit such animals to be moved to the UK. Therefore no animals have been granted entry into the UK from bluetongue affected areas.

Carbon Emissions: Publicity

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on advertising campaigns designed to encourage behavioural change to reduce carbon emissions in each year since 2000.

Barry Gardiner: Defra was created in 2001, and figures for 2000 from predecessor Departments are not available.
	Since 2001, Defra has funded, through the core Department or key delivery partners, a number of campaigns designed to raise awareness, change attitudes and ultimately encourage behaviour change to reduce carbon emissions. Costs of the campaigns are as follows. Where available, a breakdown of the figures is provided.
	 Core Defra
	
		
			  1. Climate Change Communications Initiative (awareness raising and attitudinal campaign—commenced 2005) 
			   Expenditure (£) 
			 2005-06 (1)1,150,000 
			 2006-07 (2)4,505,000 
			 (1) Figure includes the following elements: Resource cost £477,000. Capital cost £643,000 for film, brochures, website etc. Staff cost £30,000.  (2) Figure includes the following elements: Resource cost £3,645,000. Capital cost £607,000 for film, brochures, website etc. Staff cost 253,000. 
		
	
	
		
			  2: Act on CO 2  climate change behaviour change campaign 
			   Amount (£ million) 
			 2006-07 1.1 
		
	
	 Carbon Trust
	The Carbon Trust, an independent company funded by Defra, spent the following on its marketing campaign.
	
		
			  Carbon Trust 
			   Expenditure (£) 
			 2000-01 — 
			 2001-02 — 
			 2002-03 (1)700,000 
			 2003-04 3,300,000 
			 2004-05 3,600,000 
			 2005-06 3,800,000 
			 (1) The Carbon Trust was formed in 2001-02 but did not begin marketing activity until 2002-03. Figure for 2002-03 is total marketing expenditure. Figures for 2003-04 and 2004-05 represent expenditure on awareness campaigns.   Note: Figures for resource breakdown are not available as Carbon Trust do not distinguish between these categories in the funding information they provide to Defra. 
		
	
	 Energy Saving Trust
	The Energy Saving Trust, an independent company funded by Defra, spent the following on its "Energy Efficiency" Consumer Marketing Campaign.
	
		
			  Energy Saving Trust 
			   Expenditure  (£) 
			 2000-01 (1)4,208,000 
			   
			 2001-02 6,542,000 
			 Staff (488,000) 
			 Resource (6,054,000) 
			   
			 2002-03 5,742,000 
			 Staff (487,000) 
			 Resource (5,255,000) 
			   
			 2003-04 6,038,000 
			 Staff (560,000) 
			 Resource (5,478,000) 
			   
			 2004-05 (2)8,453,000 
			 Staff (547,000) 
			 Resource (7,906,000) 
			   
			 2005-06 5,946,000 
			 Staff (511,000) 
			 Resource 5,435,000 
			 (1) Figures for 2000-01 show advertising expenditure only and include a small amount of Scottish Executive support.  (2) Figures for 2004-05 have been updated as the previous figures supplied for PQ 0622 (March 2005) were an estimated outturn including a separate campaign to promote energy efficiency in the run-up to the start of the Energy Efficiency Commitment for 2005-08.

Cattle: Exports

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many live young calves were exported from the UK in each of the last five years; and to which destinations.

Ben Bradshaw: No cattle were exported before May 2006 due to the EU BSE related ban. This ban was lifted on 3 May 2006.
	The number of cows exported in 2006, from the UK to the EU, is set out in the table. Romania was the only country outside the EU to which cattle were exported during 2006; they joined the EU on 1 January 2007.
	Data are available only for cattle as the data source does not differentiate between calves and adult cattle.
	
		
			  Destination country  Number of cows exported in 2006 
			 Netherlands 82,612 
			 Belgium 28,626 
			 France 9,237 
			 Italy 2,706 
			 Spain 20,937 
			 Ireland 7,542 
			 Hungary 250 
			 Estonia 94 
			 Poland 85 
			 Germany 79 
			 Greece 63 
			 Denmark 16 
			 Romania 45

Coastal Areas: Access

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to fulfil his Department's pledge to improve access to the English coast.

Barry Gardiner: The Government received Natural England's report on coastal access on 28 February in which they recommended that new legislation should be introduced to enable it to align a "coastal access corridor" around the whole English coast that people could enjoy with confidence and certainty. We are currently considering Natural England's report and will shortly launch a public consultation document inviting views on ways of improving access.

Departments: Disciplinary Proceedings

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many grievance procedures have been initiated in his Department in the last 12 months.

Barry Gardiner: The Civil Service Management Code sets out the requirements for Departments to have procedures in place to deal with grievances. The Defra Grievance Procedures are laid down on the departmental intranet.
	The number of formal grievances that were initiated in the core-Department in 2006 was 14.

Departments: Sovereign Strategy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meetings  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department and its predecessor held with Sovereign Strategy in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Barry Gardiner: From records held centrally, there have been no meetings between Ministers in Defra and Sovereign Strategy. It is not possible, on grounds of disproportionate cost, to answer the question in relation to meetings involving officials.

Floods: West Midlands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Environment Agency spent on flood defences in the west Midlands in  (a) 2001,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2006.

Ian Pearson: The midlands region of the Environment Agency spent the following on flood defences in the requested years:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001 3.82 
			 2004 7.58 
			 2006 10.82 
		
	
	This expenditure is inclusive of capital and maintenance expenditure and includes the flood defence schemes built at Shrewsbury, Bewdley, Kidderminster, Hereford, Cannock and Burton on Trent.

Fly Tipping

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions for the offence of fly-tipping there were in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) the West Midlands Region in each of the last three years.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows the number of individuals and companies prosecuted in magistrates courts for offences under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (the main offence covering illegal waste disposal) in England in the past three years:
	
		
			   Prosecutions 
			 2003 785 
			 2004 1,066 
			 2005 1,434 
			  Source:  Criminal Justice Systems Analysis (2007) 
		
	
	The number of prosecutions recorded by local authorities in the West Midlands on Flycapture, the national fly-tipping database, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Prosecutions 
			 2004-2005 22 
			 2005-2006 36 
		
	
	The Flycapture database, which was set up in 2004 by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association, records the number of fly-tipping incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency and local authorities and details of enforcement action. Data for 2006-07 have not yet been finalised but will be available in the summer.

Fly Tipping: Databases

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to increase the amount of information they submit to the Flycapture database;
	(2)  what the cost is of maintaining the Flycapture database.

Ben Bradshaw: Since the Flycapture database was set up in 2004, DEFRA has funded a national data co-ordinator to help and encourage local authorities (LAs) in England to register and to submit regular monthly returns. The national data co-ordinator issues guidance to Flycapture data co-ordinators within LAs, and visits them to help resolve problems and validate data. DEFRA has also held a number of workshops with LAs to raise awareness, and has run Flycapture support group meetings, where good practice and knowledge are shared. We have also worked with the Department for Communities and Local Government to ensure Flycapture is used to monitor LAs' performance on the Best Value Performance Indicator on fly tipping (BV199d).
	As a result of this effort, and the hard work of LAs themselves, I am pleased to say that 100 per cent. of LAs in England are registered to use the database and, in 2005-06, 93 per cent. returned 10 or more monthly returns. DEFRA is continuing to encourage the remaining authorities to fulfil their legal requirement in submitting regular monthly returns.
	DEFRA provides £159,000 per year to the Environment Agency to maintain and run the Flycapture database. DEFRA also pays for technical improvements. The budget for these in 2007-08 was £50,000. The devolved administrations also contribute funds, since Flycapture covers all parts of the UK.

Freight: Transport

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the relative carbon efficiency of transporting freight by rail and by road.

Ian Pearson: Making direct comparisons between these types of transport is not straightforward because of the range of factors that impact on fuel efficiency; for example, the size of the vehicle or how heavily laden it is. However, an assessment has been made of the carbon dioxide (CO2) efficiency of transporting freight by road, rail and other methods. This forms part of the 'Guidelines for Company Reporting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions', published by DEFRA, to assist companies in reporting their carbon emissions. Emissions for freight carried by road (table 1) are based on how full the vehicle is, and conversion factors for CO2 emissions per tonne kilometre are provided for rail (table 2) and other freight transport types. It is possible to calculate CO2 emissions from transporting a certain amount of freight by road or rail from these data.
	
		
			  Table 1 Calculation of CO 2  emissions from freight carried by road 
			  D iesel freight road mileage conversion factors 
			  Type of lorry  Percentage weight laden  Total km travelled  x  litres fuel per km  x  Fuel conversion factor  Total kg C0 2 
			 Rigid 0  x 0.236 x 2.63  
			  25  x 0.262 x 2.63  
			  50  x 0.288 x 2.63  
			  75  x 0.314 x 2.63  
			  100  x 0.340 x 2.63  
			 Articulated 0  x 0.311 x 2.63  
			  25  x 0.345 x 2.63  
			  50  x 0.379 x 2.63  
			  75  x 0.414 x 2.63  
			  100  x 0.448 x 2.63  
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 Calculation of CO 2  emissions from other freight transport 
			  Other freight transport mileage conversion factors 
			  Freight transport mode   Tonne km  x  Factor  Total kg CO 2 
			 Rail   x 0.03  
			 Air long haul  x 0.57  
			  short haul  x 1.58  
			 Shipping small roll on-roll off  x 0.06  
			  large roll on-roll off  x 0.02  
			  small tanker  x 0.04  
			  large tanker  x 0.003  
			  small bulk carrier  x 0.014  
			  large bulk carrier  x 0.007  
		
	
	Further details are available on the DEFRA website. The guidelines are currently being updated and are scheduled to be published soon.

Grazing Land: Walls and Fences

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration has been given to bringing forward proposals to extend the provisions of the Commons Act 2006 to deal with the issue of straying sheep.

Barry Gardiner: We do not intend to extend the Commons Act 2006 to deal with straying sheep. On many commons, customary law already requires adjacent landowners to fence against the boundary of the common. This issue was considered during the passage of the Commons Bill, where it was concluded that it would not be appropriate to use legislation to extend this practice to all commons, given that operational needs may differ between commons. The Commons Act provides that fences may be constructed on common land, for example to control the movement of livestock, provided the consent of the Secretary of State is secured.

Landfill

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) number and  (b) total area was of landfill sites in each region of England in each year since 2002-03.

Ben Bradshaw: At the end of 2005 there were approximately 638 active landfill sites in England and Wales, as shown in the following table. Data for 2005-06 and 2006-07 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Landfill data 2002-05 
			  Region  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			   Number of sites  Total area (m( 2) )  Number of sites  Total area (m( 2) )  Number of sites  Total area (m( 2) ) 
			 Anglian 237 42313951.46 241 42697561.83 254 43255123.64 
			 Midlands 164 31843944.73 166 31895730.53 177 32958824.39 
			 North East 269 33226586.03 273 34161987.55 277 34161987.55 
			 North West 145 23849197.01 145 23849197.01 150 23849197.01 
			 Southern 95 222987.775 95 222987.775 96 222987.775 
			 South West 199 19159302.52 201 19159399.04 202 19159485.52 
			 Thames 113 26172713.2 115 26172417.2 121 27113258.84 
			 Wales 63 9758868.415 63 9758868.415 66 9988633.305 
		
	
	The number of sites listed will include inactive sites. The area will include non-active parts of a landfill site. Historical information is not held in one single place and is therefore not 100 per cent. accurate.

Landfill

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the basis is for the policy on the allocation of landfill allowance trading scheme targets for local authorities  (a) in sustainable communities plan growth areas and  (b) outside those areas.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 24 May 2007
	Landfill allowances were allocated in 2005 to local authorities based on the approach that all waste disposal authorities (WDAs) make the same relative contribution to the landfill directive targets for England, based on their share of municipal waste arisings in 2001-02.
	Allowances have been allocated each year from 2004-05 to 2019-20 to provide local authorities with greater certainty for long-term planning. The allocation does not differentiate between local authorities in sustainable communities plan growth areas and local authorities outside those areas. Predictions of future population growth do not provide a sufficient basis of certainty for allocating allowances.
	The Government recognise that WDAs located within the Government's specified growth areas may find meeting targets for reducing the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill particularly challenging. The flexibilities of trading, banking and borrowing allowed within the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme are intended to give WDAs every opportunity to avoid becoming liable to a financial penalty for failure to comply with limits on landfilling.

Landfill: Pollution

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what value of fines has been issued by courts following successful prosecutions for release of pollution from landfill sites in each year since 2000; how many offences were identified in each year; and what the  (a) highest,  (b) average and  (c) lowest fine was in each year;
	(2)  what the total was of fines issued by courts following successful prosecutions for release of pollution from landfill sites in each year since 2000; how many offences were recorded in each year; and what the  (a) highest,  (b) average and  (c) lowest fine was in each year.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is set out in the following table. The fines listed are in respect of offences committed under the Water Resources Act s.85 (1), the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990, s.33 (6) and the Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) Regulations, reg. 32 (1) (b). The water offences relate directly to the release of pollutants. With regard to the EPA and PPC offences, the database is not sufficiently refined to pinpoint whether the specific instances relate to release of pollution or to some other violation of the conditions of a licence or permit. The figures provided therefore include, but are not limited to release of pollution.
	
		
			  Prosecution of landfill sites 
			   Count  Total (£)  High (£)  Low (£)  Average (£) 
			 2000 7 58,000 35,000 1,000 8,286 
			 2001 7 29,750 16,000 1,750 4,250 
			 2002 6 57,000 17,000 5,000 9,500 
			 2003 4 7,000 6,000 1,000 1,750 
			 2004 7 110,500 33,500 3,000 15,786 
			 2005 3 49,500 42,000 2,500 16,500 
			 2006 3 42,000 25,000 2,000 14,000

Landfill: Pollution

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) complaints,  (b) court actions and (c) fines there were against landfill sites for problems related to (i) odours, (ii) water pollution, (iii) air pollution and (iv) human health impact (1) in England and (2) in each region of England in each year since 2001-02, what the locations were of the sites against which each fine was levied; and what the level of fine was in each case.

Ben Bradshaw: As it is quite lengthy, I am arranging for copies of the information requested to be placed in the House Library.

Milk: Prices

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will visit a dairy farm in Kettering constituency to discuss farmgate milk prices.

Barry Gardiner: I am unable to accept the hon. Member's kind invitation on this occasion. However, my Ministerial colleagues and I regularly discuss issues affecting the dairy sector with industry and farming representatives and visit a wide variety of farms across the country.
	The Government believe that the setting of milk prices is a commercial matter to be resolved by private negotiation which should take place within the parameters set by competition law. We believe the market must determine prices.

Pollution: Fines

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been levied in fines by local authorities for incidences of pollution against  (a) companies,  (b) local authorities and  (c) individuals for each type of pollution incidence (i) in total, (ii) in each region and (iii) for each fine in each financial year since 1998-99.

Ben Bradshaw: The total value of fixed penalty notices (FPNs), issued by English regions for noise related offences in 2004-05 and 2005-06, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Fine total (£) 
			  Region  2004-05  2005-06 
			 South East 100 100 
			 North West 4 — 
			 North East 56 1,500 
			 West Midlands 1,500 — 
			 East of England 2 — 
			 Yorkshire and Humber — 100 
			 Total 1,672 1,700 
		
	
	The Department does not hold data for offences from 1998 to 2003, or whether FPNs were issued to companies or private individuals.
	The Clean Air Act provides for fines for various offences which are all enforced by local authorities through magistrate courts. However, DEFRA does not collect these data.
	For contaminated land, part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 provides for fines, levied through the courts, where a person fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with any of the requirements of a remediation notice. Any convictions for such offences are contained on a register maintained by the enforcing authority. DEFRA does not collect these data centrally.
	Total fines imposed by the courts for offences under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations, where local authorities are the regulator, are shown as follows. Data are only available from 2000.
	
		
			   Fines imposed (£) 
			  Region  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 North East — — — — — — 
			 North West — — 500.00 23,000.00 475.00 22,500.00 
			 Yorks and Humberside 5,500.00 10,500.00 9,500.00 4,500.00 — 4,500.00 
			 West Midlands 2,000.00 15,000.00 — — 237,820.00 23,000.00 
			 East Midlands — — 4,000.00 30,000.00 8,000.00 — 
			 East of England 72,400.00 — 2,500.00 — 2,000.00 — 
			 Wales — 8,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 — 750.00 
			 London — — 21,116.00 — — — 
			 South East — 29,000.00 — — — — 
			 South West 7,250.00 — — — — — 
			 Total 87,150.00 62,500.00 39,616.00 59,500.00 248,295.00 50,750.00 
		
	
	Again, a more detailed breakdown of this information is not available.
	Further data on fines levied by local authorities for other pollution incidents could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

State Veterinary Service

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) permanent and  (b) temporary staff worked at the (i) State Veterinary Service, (ii) Dairy Hygiene and Egg Marketing Inspectorates and (iii) Wildlife Licensing and Registration Service in each of the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The figures requested are as follows:
	
		
			  (i) State Veterinary Service 
			   Permanent  Temporary 
			 April 2006 1,282.2 107.0 
			 May 2006 1,268.3 115.7 
			 June 2006 1,261.8 122.9 
			 July 2006 1,267.4 130.7 
			 August 2006 1,302.0 105.5 
			 September 2006 1,300.5 95.5 
			 October 2006 1,268.7 128.9 
			 November 2006 1,274.2 125.9 
			 December 2006 1,278.0 123.9 
			 January 2007 1,289.4 135.4 
			 February 2007 1,297.0 144.2 
			 March 2007 1,301.8 154.8 
		
	
	
		
			  (ii) Dairy Hygiene Inspectorates 
			   Permanent  Temporary 
			 April 2006 39.9 2.5 
			 May 2006 40.3 3.5 
			 June 2006 41.3 3.5 
			 July 2006 41.3 3.5 
			 August 2006 41.3 3.3 
			 September 2006 40.3 1.5 
			 October 2006 39.1 5.1 
			 November 2006 42.6 4.1 
			 December 2006 38.9 3.1 
			 January 2007 37.8 3.6 
			 February 2007 36.7 4.6 
			 March 2007 35.5 5.6 
		
	
	
		
			  (ii) Egg Marketing Inspectorate 
			   Permanent  Temporary 
			 April 2006 38.7 0.5 
			 May 2006 38.7 0.5 
			 June 2006 38.7 0.5 
			 July 2006 38.7 0.5 
			 August 2006 38.7 0.5 
			 September 2006 38.7 0.5 
			 October 2006 36.7 0.5 
			 November 2006 36.7 0.5 
			 December 2006 36.7 0.5 
			 January 2007 35.7 0.5 
			 February 2007 35.7 0.5 
			 March 2007 35.7 0.5 
		
	
	
		
			  (iii) Wildlife Licensing and Registration Service 
			   Permanent  Temporary 
			 April 2006 27.6 6.0 
			 May 2006 25.8 8.0 
			 June 2006 25.8 8.0 
			 July 2006 27.8 7.0 
			 August 2006 27.8 6.0 
			 September 2006 28.6 6.0 
			 October 2006 29.6 5.0 
			 November 2006 29.0 6.0 
			 December 2006 30.0 5.0 
			 January 2007 30.1 4.0 
			 February 2007 30.1 4.0 
			 March 2007 31.1 3.0

Waste Management

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) incentives and  (b) penalties his Department has put in place to encourage local authorities to reduce their waste collection volumes.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 24 May 2007
	The amount of waste collected from households per head is measured under local authority (LA) Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) 84a.
	BVPIs have statutory performance targets and are monitored by the Audit Commission. As a standardised suite of performance indicators, BVPIs help central Government and the public to monitor, analyse and compare the achievements of a local authority.
	Action to reduce the amount of waste produced in the first instance, and therefore collected by local authorities, is driven by regional and local strategies and supported by nationally funded programmes.
	In addition, the Government are providing funding and support to local authorities to help them promote and develop more sustainable waste management practices such as recycling, reuse and waste minimisation.
	The Waste Minimisation Programme run by the Defra-funded Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP) is working to stem the growth of household waste. This is part of a package of measures to enable the UK to meet the requirements of the landfill directive and move towards sustainable waste management.
	As part of the Waste Minimisation Programme, WRAP is working with 13 major retailers to reduce the amount of waste from supermarkets. This includes looking at ways to redesign packaging as well as providing support for research and development into waste minimisation. It is also working with local authorities to establish greater participation in recycling and home composting. This is achieved by WRAP through a variety of means, for example through local authority advice and training; food waste collection trials with selected local authorities; funding support for local authority campaigns to boost recycling participation in their areas; and a targeted National Home Composting Programme.
	The review of England's Waste Strategy, due to be published on 24 May will also put forward a range of measures to reduce household waste and build on recent improvements in household recycling. The consultation on the review proposed target increases for household waste recycling to 40 per cent. by 2010, 45 per cent. by 2015 and 50 per cent. by 2020.
	Local authorities have received £45 million in 2005-06, £105 million in 2006-07 and £110 million in 2007-08 under the waste performance and efficiency grant to help them develop new and more efficient ways to deliver waste reduction and increase recycling.
	There are no specific penalties to encourage local authorities to reduce their collected waste volumes. The Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme (LATS) places limits on the amount of biodegradable municipal waste that local authorities can landfill. Local authorities that exceed limits are liable to a penalty of £150 per tonne. Minimising municipal waste arisings helps local authorities meet their LATS obligations and so avoid penalties.

Wastes: Transport

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of UK recyclable waste was exported to  (a) China and  (b) other countries by (i) ship and (ii) other forms of transport in the latest year for which figures are available; what tonnage this represented; and what controls or restrictions are placed on the end disposal of exported waste.

Ben Bradshaw: Where non-hazardous waste (such as separated recyclables) are exported, they are generally subject only to commercial controls, not to the prior notification and consent procedures which apply to exports of hazardous waste. They are, therefore, not notified and precise data are not available. However, HM Revenue and Customs' indicative overseas trade statistics show that, of the waste metal, paper, plastic and glass cullet and their associated scraps exported from the UK in 2006, 19 per cent. was destined for China. The tonnages for China that year were 2,430,618 against a figure for all exports of 12,735,753.
	We are unable to provide exact data on the method of transport used to export waste. However, most waste is transported by sea. Until it reaches the UK port, this transport would probably be by road. Upon reaching its port of destination, the method of transport is likely to be road, rail or inland waterway. Air transport is generally uneconomic for wastes, given their low cost and bulky characteristics.
	Exports of waste from the UK for disposal are prohibited. However, certain non-hazardous wastes such as paper, glass and plastic can be exported for recovery or recycling, provided the wastes are destined for genuine and environmentally sound recovery operations. This would include the management of any minimal residues from recovery that require disposal. Such disposal would also need to be consistent with environmentally sound management in any country of destination.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Expenditure

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department on  (a) travel,  (b) accommodation and  (c) hospitality in relation to those people funded by the Northern Ireland Office to attend the St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the United States in each year since 1997; and how many people attended at his Department's expense in that period.

Peter Hain: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number attending  Travel cost (£)  Accommodation and hospitality cost (£) 
			 2001 7 (1)— (1)— 
			 2002 6 (1)— (1)— 
			 2003 5 23,174.88 (1)— 
			 2004 5 51,695.80 (1)— 
			 2005 5 27,945.29 (1)— 
			 2006 5 (2)— (2)— 
			 2007 4 24,697.20 (3)— 
			 (1) Information is not readily available except at disproportionate cost. (2) Not all the costs associated with the officials and representatives travelling from Northern Ireland to events at the Whitehouse around 17 March 2006 are known. However the following can be advised: Travel—£41,054.20; Accommodation—£2,736.00; Other—£1,765.00 These costs relate to expenses occurred in respect of the Secretary of State and officials from the Northern Ireland Office and the devolved Administration. (3) Invoice/accounts not yet available.

Departments: Advertising

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on advertising by his Department in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: The Northern Ireland Office, excluding its agencies and NDPBs, has spent the following on advertising in each of the last five years:
	
		
			   Advertising (£) 
			 2002-03 570,781 
			 2003-04 353,114 
			 2004-05 548,451 
			 2005-06 159,146 
			 2006-07 190,204

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by his Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Peter Hain: As at 1 April 2007, the agencies and consultancies shown in the following table are undertaking work commissioned by my Department and its agencies. The table also provides information on the purpose and cost of each commission.
	
		
			  Details of agencies undertaking work  Purpose of commission  Cost of commission (£) 
			 Grafton Recruitment Agency State Pathologist Department, medical personal secretary vacancy 10.97 hourly rate plus agency fee 
			
			 Tim Lewis Recruitment Development of electronic authorisation and knowledge maps 10,000 estimated cost for 2007-08 
			  Provision of causeway Team Leader Not available, staff substitution ongoing 
			 Grafton Recruitment Staff substitution 69,000 cost for 2007-08 
			  Organisational development 30,000 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Mr. Scott Forensic accountancy advice, consultation and court attendance 60,000 per annum 
			
			 T&S International Training and Consultancy Partnership Consultancy and training on quality management 20,000 estimated cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Ben Lee Human Rights Consultant 19,200 for 2007-08 
			
			 Collin Burrows Advisor to UK Steering Group examining alternative policing approaches to the management conflict 217,778.80 from 2002-03 to date 
			
			 Karolyn Cooper Drafting of legislation 117,778.80 from 2001-02 to date 
			
			 Odgers Ray and Berndtson Executive search and advertising for Police Ombudsman appointment process Not yet known 
			
			 Deloitte Total Reward and Benefits Ltd. Cross borders senior police officer pension transfers 37,451.95 from 2005-06 to date 
			
			 DOMILL/DSTL Review of AEP/taser (children and vulnerable adults) Nil to date 
			
			 Dr. Gaston Specialist adviser on new consultant contracts Hourly rate 56.70 
			
			 Mott MacDonald Ltd. FSNI new accommodation project, project management and technical design services Daily rates apply 
			
			 Watson Napier Consulting Project management and technical design advice 3,000 estimate for 2007-08 
			
			 Anderson Spratt Contracted PR advice 40,000 estimate for 2007-08 
			  Public relations support 15,000 estimated cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Computer Research Associates Configuration of ICIS downloads for the purpose of statistical analysis of prosecution, conviction and sentencing data 15,000 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Biznet Development of individual victims and witnesses walkthrough website 10,000 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Parasol Process re-engineering and implementation of IT service desk 55,000 estimated cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Jenkinson Consultancy IIP advice 2,500 estimated cost for 2007-08 
			
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers Accountancy Advice (FRS 17) 2,500 estimated cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Nicholson and Bass Ltd. on behalf of McCadden Design Printing and folding of "Don't Discount Crime" postcards 4,838 
			
			 Peninsula Print and Design Design and printing of HIPA scheme leaflets 426 
			  Design and printing of crime prevention and home safety tips for older people 1,298 
			
			 Coppernoise Design and production of two pop-ups for message in a bottle campaign 695 
			
			 DTZ Consultancy Evaluation of the implementation of ASBOs 30,000 to date, further expenditure expected 
			
			 Social and Market Research Research into the views and experiences of people involved in Neighbourhood Watch schemes in NI 8,325 
			
			 Peter Leitch Consultancy Ltd. Provision of Programme Manager Not available, staff substitution ongoing 
			
			 Kairos Organisational development 17,000 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Community Dialogue Research project 29,900 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Whitewater Grafton Organisational development 12,251 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Watts and Partners Economic Appraisal and Feasibility Study 75,000 per annum up to 2010 
			
			 Newell and Budge IT Project and Programme management 15,176 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 DJ Thompson Organisational development 53,000 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 BDP Architectural/Planning 15,000 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Aedas Architectural/Planning 19,617 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 OHS DHSS Staff substitution 64,000 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Hayes Construction and Property Staff substitution 215 one day per week 
			
			 RPS Architectural/Planning 7,250 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Office of Government Commerce IT application development 18,000 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Healthy Buildings International Research Project 4,000 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Sean McConville, Queen May and Westfield College Quality Accreditation 12,000 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Scrutiny Panel Architectural/Planning 1,700 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Quest Consulting Strategic management 10,000 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 BT IT security services 7,050 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 BDO Economic appraisal 72,000 cost for 2007-08 
			
			 Carecall Staff substitution 60,000 cost for 2007-08 
			  Note: This information does not include the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland.

Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times his Department was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Northern Ireland Office has not received any notification from the Information Commissioner's Office in relation to a breach of the Data protection Act 1998.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), excluding its agencies and NDPBs, has spent the following on legal fees in each of the last five years:
	
		
			   Legal fees (£) 
			 2002-03 5,494,196 
			 2003-04 5,563,934 
			 2004-05 6,977,043 
			 2005-06 7,295,364 
			 2006-07 10,821,790 
		
	
	Legal fees for the NIO have risen substantially in 2006-07, mainly due to expenditure by the Public Prosecution Service on the Omagh bomb trial, and also on the trial of James Fulton and his associates, which proved to be the longest murder trial in NI history. These two cases alone have accounted for an increase in legal expenditure of £2 million. Scale fees for counsel also increased in April 2006, the first increase in a number of years, and this also contributed to overall increase in 2006-07.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was raised from the sale of departmental property in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: The following table provides information on the proceeds received from the sale of Northern Ireland Office (NIO) property in each of the last five years.
	
		
			£ 
			  Financial year  NIO property/land  Proceeds from sale 
			 2002-03 NIO residential property 74,500 
			  NIO residential property 74,500 
			  NIO residential property 115,000 
			   264,000 
			
			 2003-04 NIO residential property 145,000 
			   145,000 
			 2004-05 NIO residential property 96,000 
			  NIO residential property 94,000 
			  NIO residential property 105,000 
			  NIO residential property 98,000 
			  NIO residential property 200,000 
			  NIO residential property 98,500 
			  NIO residential property 102,000 
			  NIO residential property 97,000 
			  NIO residential property 175,000 
			  NIO residential property 156,000 
			  NIO residential property 91,500 
			  NIO residential property 160,000 
			  NIO residential property 208,500 
			  NIO residential property 193,000 
			   1,874,500 
			
			 2005-06 NIO residential property 104,000 
			  NIO residential property 97,000 
			  NIO residential property 100,000 
			  NIO residential property 600,000 
			  NIO residential property 470,000 
			  NIO residential property 135,000 
			  NIO residential property 600,000 
			  NIO residential property 151,000 
			  NIO residential property 159,500 
			  NIO residential property 160,000 
			  NIO residential property 172,000 
			  NIO residential property 158,000 
			  NIO residential property 146,000 
			  NIO residential property 125,000 
			  NIO residential property 105,000 
			  NIO residential property 165,500 
			  NIO residential property 165,500 
			  NIO residential property 112,770 
			  NIO residential property 137,500 
			  NIO residential property 125,000 
			  NIO residential property 135,000 
			  NIO residential property 137,500 
			   4,261,270 
			
			 2006-07 NIO residential property 230,000 
			  NIO residential property 196,000 
			  NIO residential property 380,000 
			  NIO residential property 250,000 
			  NIO residential property 297,500 
			  NIO residential property 205,000 
			  NIO residential property 137,500 
			   1,696,000

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was received by the Department from the letting of its properties in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: The Northern Ireland Office does not let any of its properties.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what properties the Department has  (a) owned and  (b) rented in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: The following figures provide information on properties owned and rented by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) over the last five years.
	
		
			  (a)  Properties owned by the NIO 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 5 
			 2003-04 72 
			 2004-05 71 
			 2005-06 57 
			 2006-07 34 
		
	
	
		
			  (b)  Properties rented by the NIO 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 62 
			 2003-04 70 
			 2004-05 68 
			 2005-06 76 
			 2006-07 93

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent estimate has been made of the value of the Department's property portfolio.

Peter Hain: Northern Ireland Office (NIO) property, excluding its Agencies and NDPBs, is valued at 1 April 2007 as per Valuation and Land Agency valuations. The following table lists the buildings and their net book values.
	
		
			  Building  Value as at 1 April 2007 (£) 
			 NIO Residential Property 112,413 
			 NIO Residential Property 185,150 
			 NIO Residential Property 244,663 
			 NIO Residential Property 185,150 
			 NIO Residential Property 198,375 
			 NIO Residential Property 198,375 
			 NIO Residential Property 211,600 
			 NIO Residential Property 257,888 
			 NIO Residential Property 231,438 
			 NIO Residential Property 218,213 
			 NIO Residential Property 92,575 
			 NIO Residential Property 99,188 
			 NIO Residential Property 112,413 
			 NIO Residential Property 119,025 
			 NIO Residential Property 132,250 
			 NIO Residential Property 85,963 
			 NIO Residential Property 99,121 
			 NIO Residential Property 85,896 
			 NIO Residential Property 244,663 
			 NIO Residential Property 119,025 
			 NIO Residential Property 191,762 
			 NIO Residential Property 211,600 
			 NIO Residential Property 198,375 
			 NIO Residential Property 165,313 
			 Mounteden Storage Facility 156,060 
			 Maryfield Offices 3,264,509 
			 Hillsborough Castle 81,767,925 
			 Total net book value 89,188,928.00

Departments: Visits Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department on overseas travel in each year since 1997.

Peter Hain: My Department spent the following amounts on foreign air travel in the years detailed.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2002-03 131,677.28 
			 2003-04 137,261.12 
			 2004-05 229,339.64 
			 2005-06 158,454.14 
			 2006-07 179,313.94 
		
	
	Overseas accommodation and transportation is arranged through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Details of the associated costs are not held centrally within the NIO and could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information prior to 2002-03 is not available.

Motoring Offences

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what procedures are in place for recovering penalties imposed for road traffic offences committed in Northern Ireland by drivers whose vehicles are registered  (a) in other parts of the United Kingdom and  (b) in other European countries; and how much in penalty fines was recovered from drivers whose vehicles are registered (i) in other parts of the United Kingdom and (ii) in other European countries in each of the last six years.

Paul Goggins: Drivers from other parts of the UK are pursued in the same manner as drivers from Northern Ireland. Fixed penalty staff are tasked to make proactive inquiries to locate offenders and facilitate payment of the fines. Since 11 October 2004 there has been mutual recognition of GB and NI driving licences, thereby allowing penalty points to be attached to the respective licences through the fixed penalty process. Motorists who fail to pay the applicable fine are either 'Fine registered' and liable to arrest (in the case of 30 tickets) or summoned to appear at court (in the case of 60 tickets).
	Since the introduction of mutual recognition of GB and NI driving licences on 11 October 2004, the following sums have been recovered from fixed penalty notices issued to GB drivers:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2004 4,200 
			 2005 34,860 
			 2006 33,240 
			  Note: Figures prior to this date are not available 
		
	
	Fixed penalty notices are not issued to drivers from other EU countries, rather they are likely to be arrested and charged to the next available court, subject to the seriousness of the offence committed.

Nuclear Power Stations

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the White Paper, Meeting the Energy Challenge, what consideration is being given by the Government to siting a new nuclear power station in Northern Ireland.

Peter Hain: Although responsibility for nuclear energy remains an excepted matter under the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, any proposal to build a new nuclear power station in Northern Ireland would require planning permission under Northern Ireland legislation and this would therefore be a matter for the Northern Ireland Administration.
	I have previously made it clear that I would not favour a nuclear power station.

Remedial Education

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children in Northern Ireland have been referred to the reading centre for remedial education from each parliamentary constituency.

Peter Hain: This matter is now the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Administration.

Sexual Offences

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the timescale for the introduction of legislation on the reform of sexual offences in Northern Ireland.

Maria Eagle: We hope to bring forward draft proposals for legislation on the reform of sexual offences law in Northern Ireland later this year.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Freedom of Information

Evan Harris: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the evidential basis was for the statement in the guidance issued by the House authorities on freedom of information that a "public authority may be required to release a copy of Members' correspondence if it receives a relevant request".

Nick Harvey: Following requests for advice from Members about their constituency correspondence held by public authorities including health trusts, House officials issued guidance in December 2005. The guidance was based on the requirements placed on public authorities by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
	Unless an exemption applies the public authority must respond to requests for information by confirming or denying it holds relevant material and, where held, providing a copy.
	In practice an exemption (e.g. for personal or confidential information) may apply to the whole or part of such correspondence. The public authority is required to take a view on each case.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much was spent by the Commission on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: Details of legal fees are readily available for the last four years only following a change in the accounting system in 2003. The amounts spent on external legal advice were:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2003-04 108,158 
			 2004-05 108,921 
			 2005-06 293,025 
			 2006-07 134,515

WORK AND PENSIONS

Incomes: Pensioners

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will undertake comparisons of minimum pensioner incomes across the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: It is difficult to make meaningful comparisons between minimum pensioner incomes in different countries. But for people on low incomes the UK provides one of the best systems of support in Europe replacing 78 per cent. of previous income. In 2005 the OECD concluded that "including benefits from private voluntary schemes, replacement rates in the United Kingdom are a little higher than the OECD average across the earnings range".

Carer's Allowance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future provision of the carer's allowance.

Anne McGuire: The Government recognise the extremely valuable contribution made by carers.
	We have made substantial improvements to the benefits available to carers including abolition of the age limit which precluded carers aged 65 and over from claiming carer's allowance, and we will continue to look at ways in which carers can be supported.

Occupational Pensions: Compensation

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will consider uprating the level of compensation payable to those who suffered financial losses when their occupational pension schemes were wound-up.

James Purnell: The Government have reviewed the money available for the FAS, and in March my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced a substantial package of additional public funding so that members of pension schemes that were wound up underfunded due to employer insolvency will receive significant assistance of up to 80 per cent.

Bereavement Benefits

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were entitled to bereavement benefits in the last year for which figures are available; and how many people claimed them.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. No information is available on the number of people who may be entitled to bereavement benefit, but are not receiving it. As at November 2006, the most recent available information, there were 57,130 people in receipt of bereavement benefit.

Bereavement Benefits

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are taken to draw the attention of bereaved people to the availability of bereavement benefits.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on 4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 153W.

Carers' Allowances: Dystonia

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the extreme variability of attack of spasmodic torticollis (dystonia) on care component payments for sufferers from the condition.

Anne McGuire: Entitlement to the care component or mobility component of disability living allowance is not linked to particular disabling conditions, but on the extent to which a severely disabled person has personal care needs and/or walking difficulties as a result of their disability.
	People with spasmodic torticollis can qualify for the allowance if they satisfy the rules which govern entitlement most of the time. Advice is available in the Disability Handbook to decision makers on the variability of care and mobility needs that can result from this condition, and other forms of dystonia.
	The Disability Handbook is maintained and updated on an ongoing basis by medical advisors in the health, work and wellbeing directorate and is available on the DWP website:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/#guides.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what increase in the number of deduction from earning orders was anticipated following the introduction of the Child Support Agency's operational improvement plan; and what increase there has been to date.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 31 May 2007:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what increase in the number of deduction from earning orders was anticipated following the introduction of the Child Support Agency's operational improvement plan; and what increase there has been to date.
	In the Agency's Operational Improvement Plan we committed to using deduction from earnings orders earlier, and more frequently, for those who either default on other payment arrangements or indicate that they are unlikely to pay.
	The Agency's data shows that there was a steady increase of approximately 7,000 in the number of Deduction from Earnings Orders (DEOs) recorded, from around 159,000 in March 2006 to around 166,000 in November 2006. However, following an exercise to validate this data, a long term accumulation of approximately 8,500 ineffective DEOs (cases where employers had informed the Agency that the non-resident parent on that case was no longer in their employment) were suspended pending investigation. The recorded number of DEOs then fell to around 158,000 in December 2006. These figures also include Deduction from Earnings Requests (DERs) as the two cannot be disaggregated for old scheme cases. A Deduction from Earnings Request is the Armed Forces equivalent of a DEO.
	Since the launch of the Operational Improvement Plan payments via direct debit and standing order have shown a steady increase, with payments by direct debit up around 4,000 since December 2005, and payment by standing order also up by around 7,000 in the same period. Further, the number of non-resident parents who have their maintenance deducted directly from benefits payments has also risen by 27,000 in this period.

Children: Maintenance

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average difference in child support payments is between those on the pre-2003 system and those on the new system in similar circumstances.

James Plaskitt: When applying the new scheme formula to a sample of cases on the old scheme, it is estimated that the maintenance liability is on average around £2 lower under the new scheme rules than the old scheme.
	 Source:
	Child Support Computer System 5 per cent. extract, December 2006.

Disability Living Allowance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of claims for disability living allowance made by  (a) telephone,  (b) post and  (c) an online claim form have taken (i) up to four weeks and (ii) four or more weeks from receipt of claim to payment of benefit in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what the average period of time was between receipt of a claim for attendance allowance and payment of benefit for claims made by  (a) telephone,  (b) post and  (c) an online claim form in (i) the UK, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland, (iv) Wales, (v) each English region and (vi) each parliamentary constituency in each of the last 10 months.

Anne McGuire: The information is not recorded in a format which would allow us to answer the questions.

Incapacity Benefit

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received incapacity benefit in 2005-06.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants in Great Britain at quarters shown 
			  2005  
			 February 2,799,870 
			 May 2,783,720 
			 August 2,767,740 
			 November 2,752,900 
			  2006  
			 February 2,747,790 
			 May 2,730,000 
			 August 2,724,980 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest ten.  2. Figures include incapacity benefit credits-only cases.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Incapacity Benefit: Copeland

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Copeland were registered for incapacity benefit in the financial year ending  (a) March 1997 and  (b) March 2007.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the format requested.
	As at November 1997, there were 4,500 people in Copeland claiming incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance. As at November 2006, there were 4,250 people in Copeland claiming incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance. These figures include those receiving national insurance credits only.

Industrial Accidents

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fatalities at work were recorded in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006; and how many have been recorded in 2007.

Anne McGuire: Statistics relating to work place fatalities and injuries are collected on the basis of financial year, from April to March. They are published annually for the previous year each summer. Six month provisional figures are made available via the Health and Safety Executive website. Figures for 2004-05, 2005-06 and the first six months of 2006-07 are set out in the following table. Final figures for the whole of 2006-07 should be published in July.
	
		
			  Number of fatal injuries notified to all enforcing authorities( 1) , across all industries 
			  Year( 2)  2004-05  2005-06( 3)  2006-07( 3)  (six months) 
			   1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005  1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006  1 April 2006 to 31 September 2006 
			  Employment status
			 Workers(4) 223 (5) 212 (5) 124 (5) 
			 Members of the public(5) 370 (285(6)) 384 (290(6)) 194 (141(6)) 
			 (1) Enforcing authorities include; HSE; local authorities; and the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). Although ORR has enforced railway safety since 1 April 2006, there is still a requirement under RIDDOR to report certain incidents. RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995) is the primary determinant as to whether a fatal accident is included in these figures or not. (2) The year is defined as a planning year, 1 April to 31 March. (3) Provisional: these figures are the latest available at the time of publication, and subject to change. (4) Workers includes employees and the self-employed. (5) Members of the public are those persons killed as a result of an accident arising out of or in connection with work activity, although they are not 'at work' themselves. (6) Includes suicides and trespassers on the railways. There were 253 fatal injuries due to suicides and trespassers on railways in 2004-05, 254 in 2005-06—provisional, and 132 in the first six months of 2006-07—provisional.  Note: Figures in brackets are those reported to the Railways Inspectorate (RI), although included in the 'all-industry' figures above.

Industrial Health and Safety: Noise

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many inspections the Health and Safety Executive made for compliance with the Noise at Work Regulations 1989 in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: This information is only available from the year 2002-03 for those instances where, as part of a HSE Field Operations Directorate inspection, noise was discussed in order to ensure compliance with relevant statutory provisions relating to noise (including the Noise at Work Regulations 1989 and, from 6 April 2006 the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005). The figures for each of the years from 2002-03 are provided as follows. The level of HSE inspection activity on this topic has remained broadly similar as a percentage of total inspections carried out since 2002-03. In the last four years HSE has undertaken fewer, but more focused and longer, inspections targeted at priority areas known to cause the greatest numbers of injuries and cases of ill health (including noise).
	
		
			  Number of HSE inspections made in relation to compliance with statutory provision relating to noise at work 
			   Number of noise related inspections  Total number of inspections  Noise as percentage of total 
			 2002-03 10,454 69,628 15 
			 2003-04 8,430 68,604 12 
			 2004-05 7,022 55,195 13 
			 2005-06 5,318 53,274 10 
			 2006-07 5,591 (1)36,260 15 
			 (1) The total number of inspections for 2006-07 is provisional.  Note: All data is taken from HSE's work recording systems and the years run from 1 April to 31 March. Figures for the total number of inspections in 2005-06 and 2006-07 are minimum numbers and because of a change to arrangements for recording the number of inspections made during these years are not directly comparable with the numbers for earlier years.

Industrial Health and Safety: Noise

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many companies the Health and Safety Executive prosecuted in each of the last 10 years for non-compliance with the Noise at Work Regulations 1989.

Anne McGuire: The following table sets out the number of proceedings instituted by HSE under the Noise at Work Regulations 1989, 1996-97 to 2005-06.
	
		
			   Number of companies prosecuted 
			 1996-97 — 
			 1997-98 — 
			 1998-99 2 
			 1999-2000 — 
			 2000-01 — 
			 2001-02 — 
			 2002-03 1 
			 2003-04 — 
			 2004-05 — 
			 2005-06 — 
			  Note: All years run from 1 April to 31 March.

Industrial Health and Safety: Noise

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to provide guidance to the music and entertainment industry on the implementation of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 in April 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Representatives of the music and entertainment sectors, with support from the Health and Safety Executive and local authorities, are developing specific, practical advice on controlling noise at work under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, which will apply to these sectors from 6 April 2008. The final guidance should be available by February 2008. Employers need information on the simple and straightforward actions they can take to protect workers. Regular exposure to high levels of noise can cause permanent hearing damage which for employees, including musicians and performers, can jeopardise their careers.

Industrial Health and Safety: Noise

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many venues on the Public Entertainment Licence Register have been inspected to ensure compliance with the Noise at Work Regulations 1989 in the last 12 months.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities do not use the Public Entertainment Licence Register as the basis for recording premises inspected to ensure compliance with health and safety legislation. Therefore the information requested is not available.

Industrial Health and Safety: Noise

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many venues on the Public Entertainment Licence Register he estimates will be inspected by April 2009 to ensure that they are complying with the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.

Anne McGuire: The HSE and local authorities do not use the Public Entertainment Licence Register as the basis for planning inspections of premises in relation to compliance with health and safety legislation. Therefore the information requested is not available. Plans for proactive inspection work in 2008-09 have not yet been agreed.

Industrial Health and Safety: Noise

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many venues on the Public Entertainment Licence Register have been served staff improvement notices as a result of Health and Safety Executive inspections in relation to the Noise at Work Regulations 1989.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not record the number of improvement notices issued against venues on the Public Entertainment Licence Register and therefore the information requested is not available. However HSE figures show that between 1996-97 and 2005-06 a total of 1,650 improvement notices were issued by HSE with respect to the Noise at Work Regulations 1989.

Industrial Health and Safety: Noise

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were awarded compensation for damage to their hearing from exposure to loud music in nightclubs under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: A breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act does not generally give rise to civil liability. However a breach of the Noise at Work Regulations 1989 or the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 may (provided damage results). HSE does not routinely collect information regarding private civil claims for compensation (even when breach of Health and Safety Regulations are the basis of any such claim). Therefore this information is not available except at disproportionate cost.

Jobcentres: Copeland

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies were available through the jobcentres in Copeland in the financial year ending  (a) March 1997 and  (b) March 2007.

Jim Murphy: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus in the Copeland parliamentary constituency 
			  Financial year  Number of vacancies 
			 2004-05 3,220 
			 2005-06 2,250 
			 2006-07 3,050 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Information is only available at constituency level from April 2004. 3. Figures are not fully comparable over time and may not indicate developments in the labour market.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System.

New Deal

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total expenditure was on each New Deal programme for each year since 1997-98.

Jim Murphy: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   New deal for young people  New deal for 25 plus  New deal for young people and new deal 25 plus  New deal for 50 plus  New deal for lone parents  New deal for disabled people  New deal for partners  Total 
			 1997-98 12 — — — — — — 12 
			 1998-99 162 17 — — 1 — — 180 
			 1999-2000 282 71 — 1 12 15 — 381 
			 2000-01 293 42 — 45 14 7 1 402 
			 2001-02 219 140 — 82 9 4 2 456 
			 2002-03 221 167 — 82 18 16 — 504 
			 2003-04 264 189 — 41 20 28 — 542 
			 2004-05 254 179 — 3 24 65 1 526 
			 2005-06 — — 3231 1 26 68 1 419 
			 Total 1,707 805 3231 255 124 203 5 3,422 
			  Notes: 1. There is no split currently available between new deal for young people and new deal 25 plus for 2005-06. The expenditure has been presented as a combined figure until an apportionment is made in the departmental report. 2. Spend data include all new deal programme costs and allowances paid to participants apart from the 50 plus element of the working tax credit. As this is not included, new deal 50 plus costs reduce after 2002-03. 3. Following agreement with HM Treasury in 2002-03, ring fences were removed from new deal. Administrative costs are excluded as it is no longer possible to identify the costs of administering the costs of each new deal separately from the costs of other labour market activities. 4. Expenditure data include start-up costs. 5. Following changes to the new deal 25 plus programme in April 2001 when a mandatory intensive activity period was introduced, programme costs rose significantly. 6. Expenditure for new deal for partners in 2002-03 and 2003-04 is not recorded in the table as, excluding administrative costs, costs were around £300,000 for both years and all figures are rounded to the nearest million. New deal for partners was re-launched in April 2004. 7. Programme start dates are: new deal for young people: January 1998; new deal 25 plus: July 1998; new deal for lone parents: October 1998; new deal for partners: April 1999; new deal 50 plus: April 2000; new deal for disabled people: July 2001 (new deal for disabled people pilots ran from September 1998 to June 2001). 8. Latest figures are to March 2006.  Source: DWP Departmental Reports 2004-05, Jobcentre Plus Accounts 2005-06

New Deal

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of the new deal programme in each of the years for which figures are available since its inception, broken down by region.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 23 April 2007
	 The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  New deal spend by region/country 
			  £ million 
			  Region  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  Total 
			 East Midlands — 8 17 18 20 21 20 20 13 136 
			 East of England — 7 14 14 13 14 16 17 18 112 
			 London — 11 33 36 39 51 66 77 59 371 
			 North East — 12 25 28 31 31 32 30 19 207 
			 North West — 14 37 40 43 43 51 44 39 311 
			 Office for Scotland — 10 34 40 38 45 46 42 31 286 
			 Office for Wales — 7 20 23 21 24 23 22 13 154 
			 South East — 6 12 14 12 15 18 22 23 121 
			 South West — 9 17 19 18 18 19 21 16 137 
			 West Midlands — 8 20 22 30 31 33 31 21 196 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside — 18 36 39 36 38 37 33 36 273 
			 Non regional(1) 12 70 115 110 155 174 182 168 131 1,118 
			 Total (2)12 180 381 402 456 504 542 526 419 3,422 
			 (1) Relates to centrally administered expenditure, some of which is spent locally, for example, new deal allowances. Also includes new deal programme research. (2) Expenditure in the 1997-98 financial year was centrally administered.  Notes: 1. Figures exclude administrative expenditure. 2. Figures are subject to rounding differences and totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source:  Departmental Report up to March 2005;  Jobcentre Plus Accounts to March 2006.

Occupational Pensions

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of  (a) full-time,  (b) part-time and  (c) all workers contributed to an occupational pension in each of the last 10 years, broken down by gender.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available. Such information as is available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of employees aged 16 and over who are members of current employer's occupational pension scheme by sex( 1,2,3) 
			  Percentage 
			   Unweighted  Weighted 
			   1993  1995  1996  1998  1998  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Men full-time 60 58 58 57 55 54 54 55 55 53 
			  Weighted base (000)  —  —  —  —  11,009  11,323  11,220  10,82 0  10,708  10,422 
			  Unweighted sample (000)  3,976  4,062  3,937  3,697  —  3,558  3,881  3,709  4,427  3,649 
			
			 Women full-time 54 55 53 56 55 58 58 60 56 56 
			  Weighted base (000)  —  —  —  —  6,429  6,353  6,465  6,362  6,554  6,601 
			  Unweighted sample (000)  2,239  2,331  2,143  2,244  —  2,089  2,384  2,236  2,685  2,345 
			
			 Women part-time 19 24 26 27 26 31 33 33 33 34 
			  Weighted base (000)  —  —  —  —  4,628  5,05 9  4,990  4,963  5,044  5,182 
			  Unweighted sample (000)  1,938  2,038  1,908  1,674  —  1,732  1,878  1,795  2,179  1,897 
			 (1) Includes employees temporarily away from a job or on a Government scheme, but excluding unpaid family workers. (2) Includes a few people who were not sure if they were in a scheme but thought it possible. (3) Table shows unweighted and weighted figures for 1998 to give an indication of the effect of the weighting. For the weighted data (1998 and 2000 to 2004) the weighted base (000) is the base for percentages. Unweighted data (up to 1998) are based on the unweighted sample.  Source: General Household Survey, Office for National Statistics

Pension Credit

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants sold their domestic dwelling during the assessment period for the continued payment of pension credit in the last 12 months.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available.

Pensioners: Overseas Residence

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has in respect of provision for the pension entitlement of British citizens who move to reside in  (a) Canada,  (b) Australia and  (c) New Zealand.

James Purnell: We have no plans to change the current exportability arrangements for the UK state pension for people who are living in these countries.

Pensioners: Overseas Residence

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on removing the differential between fully indexed pensions and those pensions frozen because their recipients reside in certain overseas countries.

James Purnell: We have no plans to change the way we uprate the UK state pension paid to recipients living overseas.

Pensions: Insolvency

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what Government funding has been made available for pensioners whose pension funds have been wound up in the last 10 years.

James Purnell: The Pensions Act 2004 put in place the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) which provides support to members of defined benefit occupational pension schemes which started to wind up, underfunded, between 1 January 1997 and 5 April 2005. At that time the Government committed the equivalent of £400 million cash of taxpayers' money spread over 20 years.
	On 25 May 2006, as part of the White Paper, "Security in Retirement: towards a new pension system", a further £1.9 billion cash was allocated, bringing the total funding to £2.3 billion.
	In his Budget speech on 21 March 2007 the Chancellor announced that we now intend to increase total long-term expenditure on the FAS to £8 billion. This equates to more than doubling funding for the scheme in 'present value' terms, from £830 million to £1.9 billion and will allow us to further increase the scope of the payments.

Poverty

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of  (a) children and  (b) pensioners in (i) Hartlepool constituency, (ii) Tees Valley sub-region, (iii) the North East region and (iv) the UK were recorded as living in poverty in each year since 1992.

Jim Murphy: Specific information regarding low income is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2005-06 (revised)". The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.
	The data source does not allow us to provide robust estimates below the level of Government Office Region.
	The numbers and proportions of children and percentages in households with low incomes, in the North East and Great Britain/United Kingdom for the period 1994-95 to 2005-06, are presented in the following tables 1 to 4 . Estimates are shown Before and After Housing Costs.
	The data shown here are for Great Britain from 1994-95 to 1996-97 and for the United Kingdom from 1998-99 onwards.
	Please note that the results are based on OECD equivalisation factors, and therefore may differ from previously published statistics which were based on McClements equivalisation factors.
	
		
			  Table 1: Children in the North East  1994- 95 to 2005- 0 6 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			  Number of children living in low income households  (millions) : 
			 1994-95 to 1996-97 0.19 0.22 
			 1995-96 to 1997-98 0.20 0.22 
			 1996-97 to 1998-99 0.20 0.23 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 0.20 0.23 
			 1998-99 to 2000-01 0.19 0.22 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 0.17 0.20 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 0.18 0.20 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 0.17 0.18 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 0.17 0.19 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 0.15 0.17 
			
			  Percentage of  c hildren living  in low income households: 
			 1994-95 to 1996-97 32 37 
			 1995-96 to 1997-98 33 38 
			 1996-97 to 1998-99 35 40 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 34 40 
			 1998-99 to 2000-01 34 39 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 30 35 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 32 36 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 30 33 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 31 34 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 28 32 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers, for the North East region, are presented using a three-year moving average, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with any previously published single-year estimates and there may be differences in changes over time. In circumstances such as a change in trend, moving averages will show less variation than single-year estimates. 2. The table shows number of children in millions—rounded to the nearest 10 thousand. 3. In this answer low income is determined for children as living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of the national median.  Source: Family Resources Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Children in Great Britain/United Kingdom 1994-95 to 2005-06 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			  Number of  c hildren living in low inc ome household (millions) : 
			 1994-95 3.2 4.1 
			 1995-96 3.0 4.2 
			 1996-97 3.4 4.3 
			 1997-98 3.4 4.2 
			 1998-99 3.4 4.4 
			 1999-2000 3.4 4.3 
			 2000-01 3.1 4.1 
			 2001-02 3.0 4.0 
			 2002-03 2.9 3.9 
			 2003-04 2.9 3.7 
			 2004-05 2.7 3.6 
			 2005-06 2.8 3.8 
			
			  Percentage of  c hildren living  in low income households: 
			 1994-95 25 33 
			 1995-96 24 33 
			 1996-97 27 34 
			 1997-98 27 33 
			 1998-99 26 34 
			 1999-2000 26 33 
			 2000-01 23 31 
			 2001-02 23 31 
			 2002-03 23 30 
			 2003-04 22 29 
			 2004-05 21 28 
			 2005-06 22 30 
			  Notes: 1. The table shows number of children in millions. 2. In this answer low income is determined for children as living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of the national median. 3. Figures from 1998-99 onwards are for the United Kingdom, figures prior to 1998-99 are for Great Britain.  Source: Family Resources Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Pensioners in the North East 1994-95 to 2005-06 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			  Number of  p ensioners living in low income households (millions): 
			 1994-95 to 1996-97 0.12 0.15 
			 1995-96 to 1997-98 0.12 0.15 
			 1996-97 to 1998-99 0.12 0.15 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 0.13 0.15 
			 1998-99 to 2000-01 0.14 0.14 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 0.13 0.13 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 0.12 0.13 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 0.11 0.11 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 0.10 0.09 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 0.09 0.08 
			
			  Percentage of  p ensioners living in low income households: 
			 1994-95 to 1996-97 26 33 
			 1995-96 to 1997-98 26 33 
			 1996-97 to 1998-99 26 32 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 28 31 
			 1998-99 to 2000-01 30 31 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 28 28 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 26 27 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 23 23 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 22 20 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 20 17 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers, for the North East region, are presented using a three-year moving average, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with any previously published single-year estimates and there may be differences in changes over time. In circumstances such as a change in trend, moving averages will show less variation than single-year estimates. 2. The table shows number of pensioners in millions—rounded to the nearest 10 thousand. 3. In this answer low income is determined for pensioners as living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of the national median.  Source: Family Resources Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Pensioners in Great Britain/United Kingdom  1994-95 to 2005-06 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			  Number of  p ensioners living in low income households (millions): 
			 1994-95 2.4 2.8 
			 1995-96 2.4 2.8 
			 1996-97 2.4 2.9 
			 1997-98 2.5 2.9 
			 1998-99 2.8 2.9 
			 1999-2000 2.6 2.8 
			 2000-01 2.6 2.7 
			 2001-02 2.6 2.7 
			 2002-03 2.5 2.5 
			 2003-04 2.4 2.2 
			 2004-05 2.3 1.9 
			 2005-06 2.2 1.8 
			
			  Percentage of pensioners living in low income households: 
			 1994-95 24 28 
			 1995-96 24 28 
			 1996-97 25 29 
			 1997-98 25 29 
			 1998-99 27 29 
			 1999-2000 25 28 
			 2000-01 25 26 
			 2001-02 25 26 
			 2002-03 24 24 
			 2003-04 23 21 
			 2004-05 21 18 
			 2005-06 21 17 
			  Notes: 1. The table shows number of pensioners in millions. 2. In this answer low income is determined for pensioners as living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of the national median. 3. Figures from 1998-99 onwards are for the United Kingdom, figures prior to 1998-99 are for Great Britain.  Source: Family Resources Survey

Public Spaces: Accidents

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many legal actions were brought against local and central government authorities as a consequence of accidents in publicly administered space in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to reply to question 116900, on benefit sanctions on lone parents, tabled by the hon. Member for Bradford, North on 16 January 2007.

Jim Murphy: I replied to my hon. Friend's question on 19 April 2007,  Official Report, column 784W.

State Retirement Pensions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners are continuing to draw entitlement under the National Insurance Act 1925.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available. The Widows', Orphans' and Contributory Old Age Pensions Act 1936 was repealed by the National Insurance Act 1946. However, the 1946 Act provided that pensions in payment under the repealed legislation immediately prior to 5 July 1948, remained in payment as "contributory old age pensions".
	By virtue of the Social Security (Consequential Provisions) Act 1975, those previously entitled to such pensions became entitled to Category A or Category B retirement pensions with effect from 6 April 1975 under the Social Security Act 1975.
	 Note:
	The Widows', Orphans' and Contributory Pensions Act 1925 and subsequent amending legislation were consolidated by the Widow', Orphans' and Contributory Old Age Pensions Act 1936. Entitlement under the 1936 Act was treated as giving entitlement under subsequent National Insurance Acts.

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of 18 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training.

Jim Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1593W.

Vacancies: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies were notified to the jobcentre in Peterborough constituency in each month since January 2005.

Jim Murphy: For the period January 2005 to October 2006 I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 24 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 1870-71W.
	The information for the period November 2006 to April 2007 is in the following table.
	
		
			  Vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus in the Peterborough parliamentary constituency 
			  Month of Notification  Number of vacancies 
			  2006  
			 November 850 
			 December 910 
			  2007  
			 January 450 
			 February 950 
			 March 520 
			 April 1,000 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Jobcentre Plus boundaries do not match directly to parliamentary constituency boundaries. Therefore, figures quoted are aggregate totals for vacancies notified in the Peterborough parliamentary constituency. 3. Figures are not fully comparable over time and may not indicate developments in the labour market.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System.

Welfare to Work

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many face-to-face meetings David Freud held with outside bodies as part of the research for his review of the welfare system;
	(2)  if he will list the outside bodies consulted by David Freud during his review of the welfare system;
	(3)  whether David Freud invited written submissions from outside bodies as part of the research for his review of the welfare system.

Jim Murphy: During the preparation of his review, David Freud met a variety of external stakeholders, both in face to face meetings and in a seminar environment. He made clear in these discussions that he welcomed contributions. After publication of his report, at the international conference on 26 March 2007, the Secretary of State invited all stakeholders to send in their views to the Department.

Welfare to Work

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many meetings David Freud had with  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department in preparing his review of the welfare system.

Jim Murphy: David Freud involved officials from across the Department in his review and informed Ministers of the progress of his review on eight occasions.

Welfare to Work

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library copies of the documents provided to David Freud on the remit and scope of his review;
	(2)  what contribution was made by David Freud to decisions on the scope of his review of the welfare system; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The terms of reference for David Freud's review were published on 18 December 2006. They were
	"to review progress on Welfare to Work programmes since 1997, taking account of evidence from the UK and international experience, and make recommendations on how the Government can build on its success in using policies such as the New Deal to continue to reduce inactivity and in-work poverty, and to help meet the Government's 80 per cent employment aspiration."

Welfare to Work

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a list of the information sources used by David Freud and his team in preparing his review of the welfare system.

Jim Murphy: In preparing his report, David Freud used information from a variety of sources, looking at both the UK and international welfare systems. Key information sources re referenced at the relevant points in his report, which has been placed in the Library.

Welfare to Work

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the total staffing budget available to David Freud for his review of the welfare system was; and what proportion of this budget was available to hire staff from outside his Department;
	(2)  how many staff  (a) from his Department and  (b) from outside his Department were involved in drafting the final report of David Freud's review of the welfare system, broken down by job title and pay grade;
	(3)  what David Freud's involvement was in selecting staff to work on his review of the welfare system; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many civil servants from his Department worked on David Freud's review of the welfare system, broken down by civil service grade.

Jim Murphy: David Freud involved officials from across the Department in his review and was supported by a secretariat of three officials on a full-time basis and two officials on a part-time basis. The breakdown by civil service grade is illustrated as follows.
	
		
			  Civil service grade  Full-time basis  Part-time basis 
			 SCS PB1 1 1 
			 Grade 7 1 1 
			 EO 1 — 
		
	
	David Freud selected the Head of his Secretariat from two potential appointees put forward by the Department. The remaining members of the secretariat were assigned to the work by the Department.
	No specific budget was allocated for the review. The costs of the staff that formed the secretariat for the review were borne within the Department's overall staffing allocation.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Historic Buildings: Conservation

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what plans the Commissioners have to conserve the Priory Gatehouse in Worksop.

Stuart Bell: Worksop Priory is an important church founded in 1103. However, the Church Commissioners have not made any plans in relation to its conservation. Such plans are a matter for the individual parishes.

Legal Opinion: Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how much was spent by the Commissioners on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Stuart Bell: Legal fees incurred by the Commissioners in the last five years (less income from third parties for legal work, legal fees charged to the Commissioners by external firms and the cost of outsourced legal work) are as follows.
	
		
			   Total net cost (£) 
			 2002 705,407 
			 2003 763,005 
			 2004 817,502 
			 2005 847,681 
			 2006 850,200

Property: Rents

Grant Shapps: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how much was received by the Church Commissioners from the letting of properties in each of the last five years.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners disclose income from property investments (net of expenses) in their annual report and accounts, a copy of which is placed in the House of Commons Library. The figures for the last five years are as follows.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2002 45.2 
			 2003 41.1 
			 2004 38.2 
			 2005 42.5 
			 2006 38.2

Public Relations: Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how much was spent by the Commissioners on public relations in each of the last five years.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners' share of the cost of the National Church Institutions' Communications Department and the cost of producing and printing their annual report (which is not purely a public relations exercise but also a statutory document) have, in the last five years, been as follows.
	
		
			   Total cost (£) 
			 2002 146,023 
			 2003 124,200 
			 2004 120,724 
			 2005 135,675 
			 2006 168,797

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cost of redecoration and refurbishment in  (a) Number 10 Downing street and  (b) the flat above Number 11 Downing street has been since February 2007, broken down by month.

Hilary Armstrong: Information will be accounted for in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resource Accounts when these have been audited.

Charities: Cross Border Co-operation

David Mundell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what joint arrangements the Charity Commissioners and the Office of the Scottish Charities Regulator have in place for dealing with cross-border operation of charities between Scotland and England where the charity is based in  (a) England but operates in Scotland and  (b) Scotland but operates in England.

Edward Miliband: The Charity Commission and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator have published a Memorandum of Understanding which is based on the principles of consultation, co-operation and co-ordination which underpin how they work together. It sets out the circumstances in which the Commission and OSCR will share information and collaborate operationally where a common regulatory approach is required. Both organisations are committed to minimise the burden of dual regulation for those charities which operate across both jurisdictions.

Charities: Public Sector

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Government plan to make a public response to the Charity Commissioner's Stand and Deliver report; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: Alongside other surveys, the Stand and Deliver report makes a contribution to understanding third sector organisations' attitudes and experiences of public service delivery. The Government will continue to draw on such insights as we develop policy.

Delivery Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 795-96W, on the Delivery Unit, on what dates the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit held stocktake meetings with the Prime Minister in 2007.

Hilary Armstrong: The Prime Minister speaks at a wide range of meetings and meets with a large range of organisations and as was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Delivery Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 795-6W, on the Delivery Unit, on what dates the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit held stocktake meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2007.

Hilary Armstrong: The Chancellor of the Exchequer speaks at a wide range of meetings and meets with a large range of organisations and as was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Departments: Advertising

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  which  (a) advertising agencies and  (b) other organisations supplied consultancy services for advertising campaigns for her Office in each of the last five years; and what the cost of these services was;
	(2)  how much was spent on advertising by her Office in each of the last five years.

Hilary Armstrong: The Cabinet Office does not commission consultancy services for advertising campaigns from advertising agencies and has not done so in the last five years. For the cost of advertising I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 6 February 2006,  Official Report, column 849W.

Departments: Epilepsy

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people with epilepsy are employed by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: Under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, people have a right to decide if they wish to disclose a disability. These data are stored confidentially and therefore not disclosed.

Departments: Ministerial Policy Advisors

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of  (a) her Department's and  (b) Number 10 Downing street's special advisers were on (i) paid and (ii) unpaid leave in order to assist with party political matters under section 22 (iii) of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers on 16 May 2007; and how many days' leave each adviser was granted.

Hilary Armstrong: Special advisers' involvement in party political matters is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, including section 22 (iii), and the guidance issued by the Cabinet Secretary in December 2006 and May 2007, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was raised from the sale of departmental property in each of the last five years.

Hilary Armstrong: The Cabinet Office received £4.2 million from the sale of freehold property in 2003-04. No other property was sold in the past five years.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was received by her Department from the letting of its properties in each of the last five years.

Hilary Armstrong: Information on receipts including rental income is published annually in the Department's accounts.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent estimate has been made of the value of the Department's property portfolio.

Hilary Armstrong: Information on the valuation of the Department's property portfolio is reported in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resource Accounts 2005-06, available in the House of Commons Library. Subject to the National Audit Office's annual audit, the Annual Report and Resource Accounts for 2006-07 are expected to be published towards the end of July 2007.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total cost of leasing departmental buildings and office space was for  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Hilary Armstrong: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent by the Cabinet Office on public relations in each of the last five years.

Hilary Armstrong: Expenditure on public relations is not separately identifiable on the Cabinet Office Resource Accounting System. The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Disadvantaged: Nottingham

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made since the visit of her team to Nottingham on 5 March in convening a Joint National-Local Steering Group on Early Intervention in Nottingham; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: I am keen to support Nottingham's proposals for developing the idea of 'early intervention city'. My officials have already attended a meeting convened by One Nottingham to brief them on the national social exclusion policy context and they have indicated that they will attend quarterly steering groups convened by local partners. Other relevant Departments will also offer support to One Nottingham.

Maternity Services

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress she has made with plans to develop better health-led support from pre-birth to age two with midwives and nurses referred to in her announcement of 11 September 2006.

Hilary Armstrong: Following a large number of applications from PCTs and LAs, 10 health-led parenting pilots, based on the extremely successful Nurse-Family Partnership programme, were selected earlier in the year and went live across England on 2 April 2007. These pilots will provide structured and intensive home visiting to disadvantaged mothers from early pregnancy until the child is aged two. The pilot sites are already being successful in recruiting the first families to take part in the programme.

Policy Review

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the budget is of each of the Policy Review Working Groups.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 543W.

Unidentified Flying Objects

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Defence and Overseas Secretariat received a copy of the Government's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena report.

Hilary Armstrong: The Defence and Overseas Secretariat has no record of receiving such a report.

V

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how she will assess the effectiveness of Government funding for the v charity.

Edward Miliband: The independent charity v has made good progress since it was created in May 2006. So far, it has created over 110,000 volunteering opportunities for young people through projects in partnerships with the third, public and private sectors.
	The Government assess the effectiveness of the funding provided to v against the recommendations of the Russell Commission report and through regular meetings between v and the Office of the Third Sector which monitor the progress of the charity's work.

SCOTLAND

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by his Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

David Cairns: There are no agencies or consultancies currently undertaking work commissioned by this Office.

Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many times his Department was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: In the last five years the Scotland Office has not been found to be in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much was raised from the sale of departmental property in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not own any properties.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what properties the Department  (a) owned and  (b) rented in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not own any properties. The Office rents two properties located at 1 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh and Dover House, Whitehall, London.

Departments: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much was spent by his Department on public relations in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office has incurred no expenditure on public relations in the last five years.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMISSION

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission how much was spent by the Commission on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Alan Williams: Nothing.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Asia: Overseas Aid

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's total direct expenditure in  (a) China,  (b) Vietnam and  (c) Burma was in each of the last five years; and what it is projected to be in each of the next three years.

Gareth Thomas: The total DFID direct bilateral expenditure in each of the last five financial years is set out in Table 1 as follows, alongside projections for 2007-08. Projections beyond 2007-08 will not be available until the Comprehensive Spending Review is concluded later this year.
	
		
			  Table 1: DFID direct bilateral expenditure 
			  £000 
			   China  Vietnam  Burma  
			 2002-03 41,546 18,508 7,020 Outturn 
			 2003-04 32,255 23,264 3,720 Outturn 
			 2004-05 35,876 40,425 6,008 Outturn 
			 2005-06 34,744 57,502 6,483 Outturn 
			 2006-07 38,200 50,000 8,000 Estimated outturn 
			 2007-08 33,400 50,000 8,000 Projection

Burundi: Schools

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Government of Burundi on the reintroduction of confessional schools in Burundi.

Hilary Benn: We recognise the important work done by faith-based organisations all over the world in delivering aid and development. Many play a strong part in education, through partnerships with national governments. In Burundi, we are working together with other donors to develop and support the Government of Burundi's national education sector strategy. Faith-based schools are included in the strategy, which will support all children to access quality primary education. Individual faith-based organisations have been involved in its design. We are working with our partners to encourage them to join together in a formal coordination body to strengthen their contribution.

Departments: Advertising

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  which  (a) advertising agencies and  (b) other organisations supplied consultancy services for advertising campaigns for (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in each of the last five years; and what the cost of these services was;
	(2)  how much was spent on advertising by his Department in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has not used advertising agencies in the last five years. DFID has used the Central Office of Information (COI) to source services for promotional campaigns.
	Spend on promotional campaigns since January 2002 is listed as follows. In all cases this includes design and production of materials, and other promotional services. To disaggregate advertising direct spend would incur disproportionate cost.
	All costs are inclusive of VAT:
	 (i) Developments Magazine and Rough Guide Campaign (2005)
	To promote Developments Magazine and the Rough Guide to a Better World
	Total: £3,642
	 (ii) Trade Matters Campaign (late 2005-early 2006)
	To raise awareness of the role of trade in fighting world poverty and promote availability of a new free publication—Trade Matters.
	Total: £26,176
	 (iii) Developments Magazine Campaign (2006)
	To increase the number of subscribers to the Department's free magazine—Developments.
	Total: £12,934
	 (iv) Third White Paper on International Development (2006)
	To raise awareness of the UK Government's action plan for working with overseas and international partners to reduce world poverty over the next five years.
	Total: £125,000
	 (v) G8 Gleneagles—One year on (2006)
	To report progress on delivering the commitments proposed at the G8 summit. Newspaper supplement in  The Observer, adverts for the supplement in  The Guardian, and content of the supplement placed on a Guardian Unlimited microsite.
	Total: £62,275
	DFID places recruitment and procurement advertisements in print media using Barkers Advertising and Marketing Agency. There is no direct cost to DFID for their services.
	DFID has no Executive agencies.

Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times his Department was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The definition of 'found to have been in breach' can be broad. Depending on their nature, breaches by Government Departments of the Data Protection Act 1998 can be dealt with by the Information Commissioner, by the courts or by Departments at an informal local level. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Epilepsy

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people with epilepsy are employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Figures for the number of staff with epilepsy employed by DFID are not available, as we do not collect detailed information on the nature of disabilities declared by staff. DFID currently has 57 UK-based staff who have declared disabilities. DFID actively encourages staff to declare any disability in line with Cabinet Office guidelines and categories.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: DFID obtains its legal advice from three main sources—the Treasury Solicitor's Department, FCO Legal Advisers and Crown Agents Legal Advisers, which we and the Cabinet Office regard as in-house legal advisers—and very rarely uses external legal advisers in the UK. The costs set out in the table relate to legal advice provided on a UK property issue and represent our best data without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Cost of legal advice (£) 
			 2005-06 7,678 
			 2006-07 13,458 
		
	
	Our overseas offices may obtain advice from local legal advisers on a range of foreign domestic issues, from foreign accommodation leases to local employment law. Information on these costs could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department on public relations in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has only issued one public relations contract in the last five years. This covered the period of November 2005 to March 2006, and was with Weber Shandwick to support the Asia 2015 conference and associated media relations in the UK and Asia, specifically India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The total cost including VAT was £203,918.

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department paid to recruitment consultants in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not make use of recruitment, search and selection agencies when recruiting staff to the home civil service.
	In accordance with The Civil Service Commissioners code external appointments are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.
	Our job advertisements are placed in the national press or specialised magazines in addition to appearing on DFID's own website. Since 2003 all of our vacancies have also been placed on the civil service recruitment Gateway website.

Developing Countries: Environment Protection

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes promoting development through eco-tourism and environmental protection his Department has.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's poverty reduction mandate means its primary environmental aim is to support sustainable use of natural resources, and equitable access to environmental assets for poverty reduction. DFID's policy paper on the environment describes our approach, and can be found at
	www.dfid.gov.uk/mdg/environment.asp.
	DFID does not have programmes dedicated to eco-tourism and environmental protection, but many of our programmes make a contribution to better environmental management, both globally and in developing countries. DFID's policy paper on the environment lists examples of these programmes.
	DFID has supported a number of tourism related activities, through our Business Challenge Linkages Fund, which have focused on country level projects to improve labour standards and capacity building for small-scale suppliers to the tourism industry.
	In addition, DFID country offices have committed £4.5 million on tourism related activities since 2000. Examples include: development of a Tourism Strategy for St. Helena (2005), creation of a botanical garden in Montserrat, and the implementation of a plan for biodiversity management and sustainable development around a Ramsar site in the Turks and Caicos Islands (2005).
	DFID has funded research into the pro-poor potential of tourism development, at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the University of Kent, Canterbury.

Equatorial Guinea: Overseas Aid

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the Government gave  (a) directly and  (b) through non-governmental organisations to Equatorial Guinea in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: The UK Government have given no bilateral assistance to Equatorial Guinea in any of the last five years, either directly or through NGOs.

Group of Eight

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the forthcoming G8 meeting will discuss Africa and Climate Change; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The theme of the German G8 presidency is "growth and responsibility", both in the world economy which includes climate protection and in Africa. Therefore climate change and Africa will be at the centre of discussions at the upcoming G8 summit.
	We are extremely pleased with the German focus on Africa and development as well as climate change during its G8 presidency. We share the German view of the importance of good governance and economic growth for development in Africa. We believe that the agenda for Heiligendamm complements the commitments made at Gleneagles very well.
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will be making a statement on June 4 in Parliament before the summit.

Middle East: Overseas Aid

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what role his Department plays in HM Treasury's work on economic development in Israel and Palestine.

Hilary Benn: DFID works closely with HM Treasury and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on economic aspects of peace in the Middle East.
	DFID has responded to the economic crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) with £15 million in contributions through the Temporary International Mechanism. This supports basic services and livelihoods for public sector employees and the poorest Palestinians. We are also developing a project to stimulate investment and business innovation in the OPTs.

Nepal: Refugee Camps

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of living conditions in the Goldhap refugee camp in eastern Nepal.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is not directly involved in the running and administration of the refugee camps in Nepal and has not made its own assessment. However, we are kept informed by the UN about the status of camps and refugees as part of the regular donor dialogue in Kathmandu. DFID Nepal has also had some direct contact and discussions with representatives from the camps about conditions generally and has fed their views back to the UN system.
	Of the seven Bhutanese refugee camps in eastern Nepal, Goldhap camp is a middle-size camp, located in the Jhapa district, and has approximately 1,344 families with a total population of 9,626 persons.
	The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) assess the camps as having a high level of education. The general level of medical care and nutrition is above the national average; however recent studies have indicated the prevalence of anaemia in the camps, mainly among expectant mothers and children. In response, UNHCR is implementing a Special Project on Health and Nutrition designed to address this issue.
	In terms of prosecuting sexual and gender-based violence and other crimes in the camps, the UNHCR-supported Nepal Bar Association provides a legal assistance programme consisting of legal counselling, legal representation and support in the filing of cases, either in court or at a police station. The involvement of legal professionals from the beginning of the process has helped to strengthen support mechanisms.
	Daily camp life is managed with the active support of refugees through the Camp Management Committee, which is formed by refugee representatives annually elected by refugees in a democratic voting process.
	Security is provided by the Government of Nepal through a small, recently reinstated police presence in all the camps, with the support of a small number of refugee volunteers who consist of the refugee Community Watch Team. UNHCR also run a number of skills development training courses to promote refugee empowerment, with a specific focus on refugee women.

Overseas Aid: Electricity Generation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) expenditure and  (b) proportion of the aid budget was used to support electricity generation projects in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: At the Gleneagles summit in 2005, the UK secured G8 agreement that the World Bank should lead on establishing a new clean energy for development investment framework (CEIF), which would operate across the international financing system. The aim of this framework is to increase public and private sector investment in cleaner energy in developing countries. The World Bank published their action plan in March 2007 to implement their part of the framework.
	The Multilateral Development Banks have looked for ways to take forward this work. The Asian Development Bank launched an energy efficiency initiative, with an annual target of providing $1 billion in assistance for clean energy projects. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development launched the sustainable energy initiative last year, which aims to leverage €5 billion of investment in cleaner energy over the next five years. The World Bank is working to increase its financial commitments on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
	The World Bank's action plan for the CEIF has three main parts, one of which is to increase energy access in Africa. This includes giving greater attention to Africa's need for increased electricity generation, transmission and household electrification. The World Bank is starting discussions with some African governments about how the action plan can be implemented, aimed at improving access by households to modern energy services.
	The UK has committed over £15 million to the CEIF so far, including £3 million for technical support in developing the CEIF and supporting discussions in developing countries; £10 million to fund posts and programme budgets across the multilateral development banks and the United Nations Development Programme over the next three years; and £3 million to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's (EBRD) sustainable energy initiative.
	Except in a few special circumstances, DFID has not provided bilateral funding in support of electricity generation projects over the last five years. We work closely with international finance institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank on financing arrangements they will apply to electricity generation projects in developing countries. A proportion of our funding to multilateral agencies such as these is spent on electricity generation projects.
	The exceptions relate to our work for dependent territories and in Iraq. Over the past five years, DFID has spent about £260,000 on a wind turbine electricity generation project in St Helena. In Iraq, we have spent about £21 million on electricity generation projects to keep essential services running, through the installation of new equipment and the repair of existing assets.

Syrian Arabic Republic: Overseas Aid

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid was given by the UK to Syria in  (a) 1999 and  (b) 2006.

Hilary Benn: The UK provided £90,000 bilaterally in official development assistance (oda) to Syria in 1999, when our estimated share of multilateral oda was £2,084,000. No oda was granted bilaterally by the UK in 2006. Figures for the breakdown of our share of 2006 multilateral oda are not yet available. DFID does not maintain a bilateral programme in Syria. However, the UK provides significant support to countries in the Middle East through multilateral channels, in particular a £1.5 billion share of the EC's European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument's (ENPI) £8.3 billion support from 2007 to 2013 which will include aid to Syria.

Vaccination: Tuberculosis

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has received on the development of a new tuberculosis vaccine; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID officials have met staff from the Aeras Global TB vaccine foundation several times in the last year and are kept up-to-date with progress on the development and promotion of new tuberculosis vaccines.

World Bank

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action he is taking in response to the resignation of the president of the World Bank.

Hilary Benn: The UK remains a supporter of the World Bank, and its staff, as a force for good in the world. The Bank's task now, is to renew its efforts to lift people out of poverty.
	The UK has a long-standing commitment to support developing country calls for a stronger say at the World Bank. Last year's UK White Paper on International Development reaffirmed our view that the practice of picking the heads of the World Bank and the IMF based on nationality should end, and both presidents should be chosen on merit but changing the system would require consensus among member countries. We are working with other member countries of the World Bank to identify and select the best candidate to be the next president.

World Bank Energy Programme

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of his Department's annual contribution to the World Bank was spent on the World Bank Energy Programme in each of the last three years.

Hilary Benn: The World Bank's Fiscal Year runs from 1 July to 30 June each year. For Fiscal Year 2004 (starting 1 July 2003) the Bank lent $1.05 billion for energy projects. This amount increased to $1.9 billion in Fiscal Year 2005 and $3.1 billion in Fiscal Year 2006. Figures are not yet available for Fiscal Year 2007.
	The UK has provided £1.65 billion in core contributions to the World Bank's International Development Association since 1 April 2003. However, annual payments from the UK and other Bank shareholders are just one source of finance drawn upon by the Bank to provide loans and credits to developing countries. Therefore it is not possible to say what proportion of the UK's contribution was spent on energy programmes.
	At the Gleneagles summit in 2005, the UK secured G8 agreement that the World Bank should lead on establishing a new Clean Energy Investment Framework (CEIF) that would operate across the international financing system. The aim of this framework is to increase public and private sector investments in cleaner energy in developing countries.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Cheques

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact on the consumer of trends in the numbers of retailers refusing to accept cheques as payment in point of sale transactions.

Ian McCartney: The decision on whether to accept cheques as a method of payment is a commercial one for retailers. Increasing numbers of transactions are now made electronically and by card. However, cheques are still widely used by consumers as a method of payment.
	The Government recognise this, and welcome the reforms agreed by the OFT Payment Systems Task Force last November to introduce greater transparency and certainty for cheque users, including for basic bank account holders.

China: Motorcycles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many motorcycles manufactured in China of 50cc and under were imported into the UK in each year since 1997.

Ian McCartney: The following table shows HM Revenue and Customs' overseas trade statistics for the value and number of UK imports from China of motorcycles, including mopeds, with engines of 50cc or less:
	
		
			   £ million  Number 
			 1997 0.006 11 
			 1998 0.07 240 
			 1999 0.19 739 
			 2000 0.40 2,131 
			 2001 0.36 2,366 
			 2002 0.85 6,385 
			 2003 2.63 43,933 
			 2004 6.52 68,022 
			 2005 10.10 111,659 
			 2006 4.21 49,498

Coastal Areas: Conferences

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department plans to take as a result of discussions at the Coastal Towns Conference held on 8 May.

Margaret Hodge: The Coastal Towns Conference raised a wide range of issues, some of which were subsequently covered by the Government's reply to the report of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee on Coastal Towns. The Government will consider the need to examine further the evidence on the characteristics of coastal towns to help inform policy-making.

Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times his Department was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have not been found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in the last five years.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his policy is on responsibility for the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment where a company providing a membership scheme for that service goes into liquidation prior to the relevant equipment reaching end of life.

Malcolm Wicks: Under the WEEE Regulations (Regulation 10) where a scheme no longer exists the obligations to finance the collection treatment and reprocessing of WEEE will revert to the producer. The producer will have 28 days to join an alternative scheme.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the  (a) annual and  (b) membership fees charged to companies by the Department in connection with the enforcement of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Malcolm Wicks: Under the WEEE Regulations producers of electrical and electronic equipment are required to register with the environment authorities. These fees are tiered to represent the size of the producer, to ensure the cost to SMEs are proportionate. These fees do not cover enforcement costs which are met by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what provisions the Department has negotiated with companies establishing membership schemes with advance fees for the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment to ensure that funds will remain available to meet the costs of disposal when the equipment reaches end of life.

Malcolm Wicks: Under the WEEE Regulations the issue of membership fees is a commercial matter between Producer Compliance Schemes and producers. Producer Compliance Schemes are however required under the regulations to ensure they have sufficient resources to fully discharge the obligation of their members.

Galileo Project

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the financial implications of the UK's involvement with the Galileo project.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply 
	and will answer this question shortly.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to agree procedures for coal industry compensation claims where the Medical Disputes Procedure has been completed but subsequently further medical evidence has been obtained.

Malcolm Wicks: Such procedures (the Protocol for Collection of Additional Medical Records) have been in operation since 2003 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For vibration white finger services, similar procedures have been in place since 2006.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many  (a) former miners and  (b) members of families of former miners in (i) North Staffordshire, (ii) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (iii) the UK have (A) made claims, (B) received interim payments and (C) accepted final settlements in respect of compensation for (1) chronic bronchitis and emphysema or other respiratory diseases, (2) vibration white finger, (3) carpal tunnel syndrome and (4) pneumoconiosis; how much has been paid in respect of each category; and how many claims of each type in each area have yet to be settled in full.

Margaret Hodge: Pursuant to the answer given on 23 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1351. The entry in the table under VWF claims: the total number for claimants who have received an interim payment should read 64,868 and not 66,868.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many outstanding claims there are in relation to  (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and  (b) vibration white finger for (i) living and (ii) deceased miners in Bassetlaw handled by (A) VDM/Vendside and (B) others.

Malcolm Wicks: The outstanding claims for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and vibration white finger (VWF) of living and deceased miners in Bassetlaw are broken down as requested in the following table:
	
		
			   Living  Deceased  Total 
			 COPD 
			 Total outstanding claims 755 902 1,657 
			 Registered to UDM/Venside 127 15 142 
			 
			 VWF 
			 Total outstanding Claims 529 59 588 
			 Registered to UDM/Venside 53 18 71

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many miners and former miners have died before settlement of  (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and  (b) vibration white finger compensation claims.

Malcolm Wicks: The numbers of miners and former miners who have died while waiting for settlement of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and for vibration white finger compensations are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Settled claims  Outstanding claims  Total 
			 COPD 18,266 7,042 25,308 
			 VWF 6,941 1,370 8,311 
			 Total 25,207 8,412 33,619

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many miners' compensation claims have been paid in part or in full by  (a) the UDM,  (b) Kidd and Spoor Harper,  (c) Frank Allen Pennington,  (d) Watson Burton,  (e) Robinson King and  (f) Oxley and Coward, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Malcolm Wicks: A spreadsheet showing the number of miners' who have been paid compensation in part or full by those firms who handled their claims, as requested, and broken down by constituency, has been placed in the Library of the House.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to commence the pilot with the Law Society on advice for miners on complaints options for double-charging for industrial disease compensation.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department is currently working with the Legal Complaints Service and Legal Services Ombudsman to take the pilot exercise forward in the coming weeks.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which 30 firms of solicitors have handled the greatest ill-health compensation cases settled via the fast-track for miners' compensation.

Malcolm Wicks: The 30 firms who have settled most claims through the fast-track options are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Claimants' representative  Claims settled by fast-track 
			 Beresfords Solicitors 23,671 
			 Avalon Solicitors 13,546 
			 Hugh James 10,105 
			 Raleys Solicitors 9,819 
			 Thompsons Solicitors 9,059 
			 Browell Smith and Co. 7,664 
			 Barber and Co. 5,556 
			 Union of Democratic Mineworkers 4,653 
			 Watson Burton LLP 4,223 
			 Delta Legal 4,191 
			 Graysons Solicitors 3,220 
			 Ashton Morton Slack LLP 3,001 
			 BRM Solicitors 2,553 
			 Randell Lloyd Jenkins and Martin 2,109 
			 Ingrams Solicitors 1,907 
			 Corries York 1,900 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse 1,890 
			 Hilary Meredith Solicitors 1,742 
			 The Legal Warehouse 1,726 
			 Gorman Hamilton Solicitors 1,573 
			 Moss Solicitors 1,409 
			 Corries Solicitors 1,314 
			 Kidd and Spoor Harper Solicitors 1,215 
			 Birchall Blackburn 1,079 
			 1 Legal Solicitors 1,027 
			 Onyems and Partners 1,011 
			 Bailey Bravo Jobling 932 
			 Recompense Ltd. 812 
			 Towells Solicitors 760 
			 Wake Smith 742

Judgments

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the implications for  (a) public policy and  (b) the public purse of judgment in the Myatt  v. NCB case.

Malcolm Wicks: We have not made a formal assessment. However, we were aware that significant savings on costs were at stake. One of the main drivers was to address bad practice by firms who were seeking to offload unrecoverable costs. We were similarly aware that some claimants would benefit from having costs claims struck down.
	The implications of 'Myatt' on Conditional Fee Agreement litigation in the UK has been profound. It is a ground breaking case which has caused major problems for claimants firms who do not follow the Conditional Fee Agreement and 'After The Event' insurance regulatory regime. That regime was put in place as a limited exemption to the right of solicitors to profit from litigation directly. Parliament chose to tightly draw the acceptable bounds of that regime for reasons of public policy. 'Myatt' is one of the cases that reinforces the boundaries beyond which solicitors should not go.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date the domestic stream of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme will end.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 21 May 2007
	 The Low Carbon Buildings Programme was launched in April 2006 with a £30 million budget. In the Budget 07, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced that a further £6 million would be made available to the household stream of the programme, taking the total available including management fees to £18.7 million.
	Since the Budget announcement, we took the decision to suspend the scheme as this provided an opportunity to consult key stakeholders on a re-structured scheme that better met the needs of industry and applicants alike. We have implemented changes that include the removal of the monthly cap. With the increased flexibility that removing the monthly cap provides, we cannot predict demand with certainty. We hope these changes will allow us to reach a wider audience. We will continue to monitor and report on grant commitments and payments. However, once the funds are allocated, this form of grant support will cease.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons further support for the domestic stream of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme is not being offered; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 21 May 2007
	In the Budget 07, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced that a further £6 million would be made available to the household stream of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, taking the total available including management fees to £18.7 million.
	We re-launched the household stream on 29 May 2007, having made a number of changes to the programme. We believe these changes will allow us to reach a wider audience, and demonstrate the potential of micro generation to a greater number of households. We will continue to monitor and report on grant commitments and payments. However, once the funds are fully allocated, this form of grant support will cease.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the reasons were for each of the reductions in domestic grant support for solar photovoltaics under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 21 May 2007
	When we launched the Low Carbon Buildings Programme in April 2006, we always intended to review grant levels at the end of the first year. After discussions with industry, we took the decision to reduce the grant level for solar photovoltaics from a maximum of £3,000 per kWp to a maximum of £2,000 per kWp installed. This measure, along with the introduction of a £2,500 cap per household will allow us to use the limited funds available to support an increased number of microgeneration installations, which is a fundamental aim of a demonstration programme such as this.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire to the Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the Sahara Desert and energy, transferred to his Department on 27 April 2007 (PQ 2499 06/07).

Malcolm Wicks: My noble friend, Lord Truscott, responded to the hon. Member's letter on 28 May 2007. I apologise for the delay.

Minimum Wage: Enforcement

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the deterrent effect on employers of the January 2007 increase in financial penalties for non-payment of the minimum wage.

Jim Fitzpatrick: It is too early to assess the deterrent effect on employers of the national minimum wage penalty policy announced in January 2007. Following on from the 2007 Low Pay Commission recommendation, we are currently consulting on a simple new penalty for any employer found to be underpaying the minimum wage. The Government are committed to stamping out non compliance with minimum wage legislation.

Office of Fair Trading: Complaints

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to simplify the procedure for making complaints to the Office of Fair Trading.

Ian McCartney: At present any individual or organisation is able to bring a complaint to the Office of Fair Trading. On consumer matters this complaint should be made via Consumer Direct—either by calling 08454 04 05 06, or via the internet or in writing. On competition matters a complaint may be made to the OFT directly on 08457 22 44 99, or via their website or in writing. However, where a complaint relating to a competition matter is received via Consumer Direct, it will be passed to OFT.
	Additionally, there is a separate process for designated organisations acting on behalf of groups of consumers to bring "super-complaints". These require a certain standard of evidence, but OFT must deliver a reasoned response to the super-complaint within 90 days.

Office of Fair Trading: Complaints

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints the Office of Fair Trading has received in relation to uncompetitive practices in the newspaper industry in the last 12 months.

Ian McCartney: The OFT has received 14 specific, individual complaints regarding competition issues in the newspaper industry over the last 12 months.
	The OFT is also currently in the process of conducting work in relation to the distribution of national newspapers and magazines, further details of which are included in OFT press notices of 31 May 2006 and 8 March 2007. During this process the OFT has invited and received representations from a wide range of industry parties, some of which raise concerns about competition.

OM Energy

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his answer of 27 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1361W, on OM Energy, what assistance his Department has given to OM Energy in seeking a worldwide patent for this technology.

Ian McCartney: The Global Entrepreneur Programme facilitated an introduction to a UK patent agent who helped the company with their worldwide patent strategy.

Pipelines: Sakhalin Island

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the consultation process on the Export Credits Guarantee Department's funding of the Sakhalin II oil and gas project will end.

Ian McCartney: ECGD is continuing to consider the provision of support for the Sakhalin II oil and gas project and the Department remains open to receive any comments. ECGD expects to invite comments from interested parties on the independent report on the environmental and social issues associated with the project whenever it is published. The Department will take into account the report, alongside any comments received, when the time comes to take its decision.

Pipelines: Sakhalin Island

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects the Export Credits Guarantee Department to make a final decision on funding the British elements of the Sakhalin II oil and gas project.

Ian McCartney: ECGD has not received all the information it requires in order to start its decision making process on the provision of support for the Sakhalin II oil and gas project. No date exists for its decision.

Post Offices: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices closed in the Chelmsford local authority area  (a) between June 1987 and May 1997 and  (b) since May 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook, the managing director, has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Offices: Closures

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post office closures there were between 1987 and 1997, broken down by type of post office.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook the managing director has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Professional Organisations: Complaints

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what discussions have taken place between the Office of Fair Trading and other bodies on complaints against the  (a) Law Society,  (b) Bar Council,  (c) Institute of Legal Executives,  (d) Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and  (e) Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library correspondence between the Office of Fair Trading and other bodies on the making of super complaints on the  (a) legal services market,  (b) accountancy services market and  (c) surveying market in England and Wales;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library correspondence between the Office of Fair Trading and other bodies on the making of super complaints on the  (a) legal services market and  (b) accountancy services market in Scotland;
	(4)  what discussions have taken place between the Office of Fair Trading and any other bodies on the making of super complaints against  (a) The Law Society of Scotland and  (b) The Faculty of Advocates.

Ian McCartney: These are matters for the Office of Fair Trading. I will write to the chief executive of the Office of Fair Trading, John Fingleton, to ask him to reply to the hon. Member.

Research Councils

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he asks research councils  (a) to report and  (b) to record the regional distribution of their allocations; and whether the councils (i) make such reports and (ii) keep such records.

Malcolm Wicks: Research councils are required to allocate funding on the basis of excellence. They keep records of their investments and will analyse and report on regional distribution of their funding on request. All research councils publish responsive mode success rates by higher education institution and other research institution eligible for research council funding on their websites annually.

Sunbeds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate his Department has made of the size of the UK sunbed industry market; and what assessment he has made of the industry's contribution to the UK economy.

Margaret Hodge: No such estimate or assessment has been made. Officials statistics on the operation of sunbed salons are collected by the Office for National Statistics as part of Standard Industrial Classification 93.04 (physical well being activities). In 2005 there were 915 enterprises under this classification with a total turnover of 309 million adding under 0.02 per cent. to UK gross value added.

Telephone Services: Unsolicited Goods and Services

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many 50,000 fines have been issued to companies using silent calls to contact consumers;
	(2)  what estimates his Department has received from Ofcom of the levels of silent calls made by companies; and how the levels have changed over the last 12 months.

Margaret Hodge: The matter raised is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Thorp

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the financial impact of the delay in the restart of the THORP Reprocessing Plant at Sellafield; and when he expects the plant to be restarted.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 21 May 2007
	The Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate issued a 'Consent' on 9 January 2007 to allow the THORP plant to restart operations having been satisfied that the site licensee, British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd., had done all work necessary to ensure THORP could be restarted safely. Some areas of the plant have already resumed operation and the timing of restart of full reprocessing is currently delayed while ongoing investigations of the site's downstream evaporation facilities are underway. The precise date to restart reprocessing fuel at THORP is a matter for the site licensee in discussion with the site owner the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and is not expected before this summer. The financial aspects of this situation are a commercial matter for the NDA.

Waste Disposal

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry within what timeframe he expects to establish a scheme for individual producer responsibility.

Malcolm Wicks: There is currently no timetable for the introduction of individual producer responsibility (IPR) in the UK under the WEEE Regulations.
	The Government remain committed to the principles of IPR and will be establishing a WEEE Advisory Body in the autumn. As part of its remit the advisor body will be asked to examine IPR and make recommendations on how it can be introduced in the UK.

Wind Power: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many wind turbines there are in East Sussex; and where they are located.

Malcolm Wicks: For large scale wind, figures from Restats show that there are no wind turbines in East Sussex that are either operational, under construction or have received planning consent. However, there is one wind farm project application being considered for planning consent. This is the Glyndebourne Opera House project, to be located at Mill Plain, Glyndebourne, East Sussex, with one wind turbine.
	For micro-wind, we have funded the installation of wind turbines in East Sussex through two capital grant programmes, which are as follows:
	
		
			  Period  Grant programme  Number of installations 
			 2002-06 Clear Skies (1)9 
			 2006 to present Low Carbon Buildings Programme 2 
			 (1)In South East region.

TREASURY

Average Earnings

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average net weekly pay was in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West,  (c) England and  (d) the UK in each year since 1979.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated 4( th) June 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average net weekly pay was in (a) Cornwall, (b) the South West, (c) England and (d) the UK in each year since 1979. I am replying in her absence. (140398)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Various breakdowns and analyses are available online for years 1997 onwards at:
	http://www. statistics. gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=13101
	Estimates of average net weekly pay are not available.

Average Earnings

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average gross weekly pay was in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West,  (c) England and  (d) the UK in each year since 1979.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 4 June 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average gross weekly pay was in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West,  (c) England and  (d) the UK in each year since 1979. (140556)
	Since 1997, levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all full time employees on adult rates of pay whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This is the standard definition used for ASHE.
	The ASHE does not collect information on the self employed and people who do unpaid work. Prior to 1997, levels of earnings are estimated from the New Earnings Survey (NES) and are provided for all full time employees either on adult rates of pay, or for years prior to 1984, aged 21 and over (male) or 18 and over (female), whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence.
	Estimates at the UK level are not available before 1997. For comparison, I have included figures at the GB level.
	I attach a table showing Gross Weekly Pay for Cornwall, the South West, England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, for all full-time employees, for the years 1979-2006.
	The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a one per cent. sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
	
		
			  Gross weekly pay for all full time employee( 1)  jobs 
			   
			   Cornwall  South West  England ( 2) GB  UK 
			   Mean ( 2) Median  Mean ( 2) Median  Mean ( 2) Median  Mean ( 2) Median  Mean ( 2) Median 
			 1979 72.6  82.9  89.9  89.6
			 1980 88.9  103.6  110.7  110.2
			 1981 106.3  118.6  108.8  124.9
			 1982 114.8  127.6  137.1  136.5
			 1983 125.3  139.6  149.0  148.3
			 1984 135.0  149.1  160.2  159.3
			 1985 143.8  160.6  172.0  171.0
			 1986 152.6  172.8  186.3  184.7
			 1987 161.1  185.7  200.8  198.9
			 1988 172.8  202.8  220.9  218.5
			 1989 196.3  225.0  242.8  239.7
			 1990 214.1  246.7  266.7  263.1
			 1991 219.9  265.6  288.3  284.7
			 1992 239.4  283.1  308.1  304.7
			 1993 252.3  298.4  320.8  316.9
			 1994 265.1  308.7  330.1  325.7
			 1995 266.1  313.8  340.6  336.3
			 1996 271.2  326.5  356.2  351.7
			 1997 289.0 250.0 349.4 303.6 378.9 325.0 373.9 321.5 372.6 320.5 
			 1998 298.4 253.4 361.4 314.8 399.7 339.4 393.9 335.8 392.5 334.9 
			 1999 301.0 260.4 371.6 323.9 412.6 347.8 409.2 346.3 407.8 345.5 
			 2000 318.2 276.2 385.0 336.0 433.3 364.4 426.7 360.0 425.1 359.0 
			 2001 337.3 296.9 413.4 352.3 459.2 381.7 451.7 377.4 449.7 375.9 
			 2002 349.0 303.4 429.2 365.0 482.0 396.5 474.3 392.2 472.1 390.9 
			 2003 391.5 331.5 449.3 382.0 497.2 410.6 489.2 405.2 487.1 404.0 
			 2004 excl. 395.1 333.4 464.3 394.9 516.7 430.0 508.2 424.2 506.1 422.8 
			 2004 inc.(3) 390.5 327.9 457.6 392.6 508.0 425.0 500.1 420.3 498.2 419.2 
			 2005 402.6 340.9 471.8 400.0 525.5 436.0 518.2 431.7 516.4 431.2 
			 2006 412.4 357.5 493.3 417.0 546.5 453.3 539.3 448.6 537.3 447.1 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (2) Prior to 1997 only mean figures are available, and only at the GB level. (3) In 2004 additional supplementary surveys were introduced to improve the coverage of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.  Figures are presented both excluding and including the additional surveys for comparison purposes.  Source:  Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (1997-2006) and New Earnings Survey (1979-1996), Office for National Statistics.

Average Earnings

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what gross annual earnings were in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) England in each year since 1979.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated 4 June 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average gross annual earnings was in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West, and  (c) England in each year since 1979. I am replying in her absence. (140557)
	Levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all full time employees on adult rates of pay whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. Estimates of Gross Annual Earnings are not available prior to 1999.
	I attach a table showing Gross Annual Earnings for Cornwall, the South West, and England, for all full-time employees, for the years 1999-2006.
	The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is based on a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
	
		
			  Gross annual earnings for all full-time employee( 1)  jobs 
			   thousand 
			   Cornwall  South West  England 
			   Mean  Median  Mean  Median  Mean  Median 
			 1999(3) 15.3 13.4 19.2 16.7 21.6 17.9 
			 2000 16.6 14.5 20.5 17.8 23.3 19.1 
			 2001 17.2 15.4 21.5 18.5 24.5 20.0 
			 2002 18.6 16.4 22.7 19.2 25.5 20.7 
			 2003 19.9 16.8 23.7 20.0 26.5 21.5 
			 2004 excl. 20.2 17.2 24.4 20.7 27.7 22.4 
			 2004 inc.(2) 20.3 17.3 24.4 20.7 27.7 22.4 
			 2005 21.6 17.9 25.4 21.3 28.9 23.3 
			 2006 21.9 18.8 26.5 22.0 30.1 23.9 
			 (1 )Employees on adult rates, pay not affected by absence. (2 )In 2004 additional supplementary surveys were introduced to improve the coverage of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Figures are presented both excluding and including the additional surveys for (3 )Estimates of Gross Annual Earnings are not available prior to 1999.  Source:  Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Departments: Public Appointments

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to enhancing the role of Parliament in appointing  (a) the chairman and chief executive of the Financial Services Authority,  (b) members of the Statistics Board, including the Chairman and the National Statistician, and  (c) the Chairman of HM Revenue and Customs.

Stephen Timms: The Statistics and Registration Service Bill, which is currently before Parliament, makes provision for the appointment of members of the Statistics Board. Permanent Secretary level appointments, including the Executive Chairman of HM Revenue and Customs, and appointments to the Board of the Financial Services Authority are conducted in accordance with the code of practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Members: Correspondence

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the Financial Secretary to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey of 19 March 2007, reference SP2271, on Chernobyl children's life-line.

John Healey: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Older Workers

Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of  (a) men aged 65 years and  (b) women (i) aged over 60 years and (ii) over 65 years were (A) employed and (B) unemployed in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated 4 June 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many and what percentage of (a) men aged 65 years were (i) employed and (ii) unemployed and (b) women (i) aged over 60 years and (ii) over 65 years were (A) employed and (B) unemployed in each of the last 10 years. I am replying in her absence. (140445)
	The attached table gives the numbers and rates for men aged 65 and over, women aged 60 and over, and women aged 65 and over who were in employment or unemployed. It covers the 3 months ending December each year for 1997-2006 (estimates for 1998 and 2000 are not available). The data are not seasonally adjusted.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  People in employment or unemployed by age and gender, United Kingdom, 1997 to 2006, not seasonally adjusted 
			   In employment  Unemployment 
			  3 months ending December each year  Level (thousand)  Rate (percentage)( 1)  Level (thousand)  Rate (percentage)( 2) 
			  1997 
			 Men 
			 65 and over 277 7.5 9 3.1 
			  
			 Women 
			 60 and over 509 7.8 9 1.8 
			 65 and over 167 3.3 2 1.3 
			  
			  1999 
			 Men 
			 65 and over 291 7.8 7 2.3 
			  
			 Women 
			 60 and over 537 8.2 13 2.3 
			 65 and over 172 3.4 5 2.7 
			  
			  2001 
			 Men 
			 65 and over 298 7.8 7 2.3 
			  
			 Women 
			 60 and over 591 9.0 9 1.5 
			 65 and over 175 3.4 2 1.1 
			  
			  2002 
			 Men 
			 65 and over 314 8.1 6 1.9 
			  
			 Women 
			 60 and over 583 8.8 13 2.3 
			 65 and over 173 3.4 2 1.4 
			  
			  2003 
			 Men 
			 65 and over 331 8.4 10 3.0 
			  
			 Women 
			 60 and over 636 9.6 11 1.6 
			 65 and over 194 3.8 5 2.3 
			  2004 
			 Men 
			 65 and over 343 8.6 11 3.1 
			  
			 Women 
			 60 and over 658 9.8 9 1.4 
			 65 and over 195 3.8 4 1.8 
			  
			  2005 
			 Men 
			 65 and over 382 9.5 12 3.1 
			  
			 Women 
			 60 and over 727 10.8 12 1.6 
			 65 and over 214 4.2 4 2.0 
			  
			  2006 
			 Men 
			 65 and over 402 9.9 8 1.9 
			  
			 Women 
			 60 and over 795 11.6 15 1.9 
			 65 and over 235 4.6 3 1.3 
			 (1) Total in employment as a percentage of all persons in the relevant age group. (2) Total unemployed as a percentage of all economically active persons in the relevant age group.  Note: Comparable data are not available for 1998 or 2000.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Overseas Visitors

Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) holidays and  (b) visiting friends and relatives visits were made to the UK in (i) 1996 and (ii) 2006 from (A) the United States, (B) Germany, (C) Eire, (D) France, (E) Spain, (F) Australia, (G) Italy, (H) the Netherlands, (I) Canada and (J) Poland.

Shaun Woodward: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Visits to the UK by overseas residents in 1996 and 2006 
			  Visits (thousand) 
			 All nationalities 
			 Holidays  Visiting friends and relatives 
			 (A) The United States(1) 1996 1,481 579 
			   2006 1,427 957 
			  
			 (B) Germany 1996 1,380 590 
			   2006 1,116 870 
			  
			 (C) Eire 1996 544 663 
			   2006 705 1,062 
			 (D) France(2) 1996 1,704 570 
			   2006 1,246 1,037 
			  
			 (E) Spain(3) 1996 245 221 
			   2006 659 709 
			  
			 (F) Australia 1996 319 222 
			   2006 385 381 
			  
			 (G) Italy(4) 1996 367 140 
			   2006 553 309 
			  
			 (H) The Netherlands 1996 690 223 
			   2006 561 436 
			  
			 (I) Canada(5) 1996 219 255 
			   2006 280 369 
			 (J) Poland 1996 97 30 
			   2006 220 467 
			 (1) USA includes Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands. (2) France includes Monaco. (3) Spain includes Canary and Balearic Islands and Andorra. (4) Italy includes the Vatican City and San Marino. (5) Canada includes Greenland and St. Pierre et Miquelon.  Source: International Passenger Survey (ONS) 
		
	
	Visits by country from the International Passenger Survey are subject to error and should be treated with an element of caution. As with all sample surveys, statistical reliability is reduced when results are based on responses from only a small number of people.

Overseas Visitors

Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) holidays and  (b) visiting friends and relatives visits were made to the UK in (i) 1996 and (ii) 2006 by British passport-holding residents of (A) the United States, (B) Germany, (C) Eire, (D) France, (E) Spain, (F) Australia, (G) Italy, (H) the Netherlands, (I) Canada and (J) Poland.

Shaun Woodward: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Visits to the UK by UK nationals with residency abroad in  1996 and 2006 
			  Visits (thousand) 
			 UK nationals 
			 Holidays  Visiting friends and family 
			 (A) The United States(1) 1996 57 146 
			   2006 67 222 
			  
			 (B) Germany 1996 88 213 
			   2006 50 207 
			  
			 (C) Eire 1996   
			   2006 42 187 
			  
			 (D) France(2) 1996 50 127 
			   2006 61 357 
			  
			 (E) Spain(3) 1996 30 121 
			   2006 57 431 
			  
			 (F) Australia 1996 35 64 
			   2006 30 102 
			  
			 (G) Italy(4) 1996 19 38 
			   2006 6 57 
			 (H) The Netherlands 1996 21 42 
			   2006 18 104 
			  
			 (I) Canada(5) 1996 18 55 
			   2006 17 75 
			  
			 (J) Poland 1996 4 1 
			   2006 3 7 
			 (1) USA includes Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands. (2) France includes Monaco. (3) Spain includes Canary and Balearic Islands and Andorra. (4) Italy includes the Vatican City and San Marino. (5) Canada includes Greenland and St. Pierre et Miquelon.  Source: International Passenger Survey (ONS) 
		
	
	Visits by country from the International Passenger Survey are subject to error and should be treated with an element of caution. As with all sample surveys, statistical reliability is reduced when results are based on responses from only a small number of people.

Overseas Visitors

Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) holidays and  (b) visiting friends and relatives visits were made to the UK in (i) 1996 and (ii) 2006 by non-British passport-holding residents of (A) the United States, (B) Germany, (C) Eire, (D) France, (E) Spain, (F) Australia, (G) Italy, (H) the Netherlands, (I) Canada and (J) Poland.

Shaun Woodward: I I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Visits to the UK by non-UK nationals with residency abroad in  1996 and 2006 
			  Visits (thousand) 
			 Non-UK national( 1) 
			 Holidays  Visiting friends and relatives 
			 (A) The United States(2) 1996 1,423 433 
			   2006 1,360 735 
			  
			 (B) Germany 1996 1,292 377 
			   2006 1,066 663 
			  
			 (C) Eire 1996 544 663 
			   2006 663 874 
			  
			 (D) France(3) 1996 1,654 443 
			   2006 1,185 680 
			  
			 (E) Spain(4) 1996 214 100 
			   2006 603 278 
			 (F) Australia 1996 284 158 
			   2006 354 279 
			  
			 (G) Italy(5) 1996 347 103 
			   2006 547 252 
			  
			 (H) The Netherlands 1996 669 181 
			   2006 543 332 
			  
			 (I) Canada(6) 1996 201 199 
			   2006 263 294 
			  
			 (J) Poland 1996 92 28 
			   2006 217 460 
			 (1) Include don't know and those who refused to give nationality. (2) USA includes Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands. (3) France includes Monaco. (4) Spain includes Canary and Balearic Islands and Andorra. (5) Italy Includes the Vatican City and San Marino. (6) Canada includes Greenland and St. Pierre et Miquelon.  Source: International Passenger Survey (ONS) 
		
	
	Visits by country from the International Passenger Survey are subject to error and should be treated with an element of caution. As with all sample surveys, statistical reliability is reduced when results are based on responses from only a small number of people.

Personal Savings

Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the savings ratio was for  (a) men and  (b) women in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated 4 June 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on the savings ratio for men and women in the last ten years. I am replying in her absence. (140440)
	We are unable to provide the saving ratios, broken down by gender. The following table shows the households saving ratio for the whole of the UK.
	
		
			   Households saving ratio 
			 1997 9.5 
			 1998 7.0 
			 1999 5.3 
			 2000 5.1 
			 2001 6.4 
			 2002 5.0 
			 2003 4.9 
			 2004 3.7 
			 2005 5.3 
			 2006 4.9 
			  Note: When using Table A40 of United Kingdom Economic Accounts (weblink follows) the database identifier is NRJS. 
		
	
	The estimates of the households saving ratio are national accounts series for the combined household and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) sectors. Estimates for households alone are not available. NPISHs are legal entities which are principally engaged in the production of non-market services for households and whose main resources are voluntary contributions by households. Examples of NPISHs are: charities; relief and aid organisations; educational establishments; trade unions; professional associations, political parties and religious organisations, and sports clubs and associations.
	Further data are available from table A40 in United Kingdom Economic Accounts which is available at the following address:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=1904

Pre-School Education: Finance

Karen Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much was allocated to each English local education authority for nursery education grant in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what percentage of each English local education authority's nursery education grant was passed on the providers in each of the last three years;
	(3)  what percentage of each English local education authority's nursery education grant was withheld for central administration of support in each of the last three years.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	From 2003-04 to 2005-06, school and early years funding was distributed to LAs through School Formula Spending Share (SFSS). Table 1 shows the funding allocation in  millions for early years for each local authority in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Figures for spend on early years in 2004-05 and 2005-06 are not available.
	Funding for nursery education provision is now provided to local authorities through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) alongside that for all pre-16 learning, but is not separately identified. Local authoritiesin consultation with their School Forums are responsible for deciding how best to apply their total school and early years funding across all age groups and between different types of provider, based on an assessment of local circumstances.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  LEA name  2004-05  2005-06 
			 City of London 0.226 0.223 
			 Camden 12.938 14.036 
			 Greenwich 17.302 18.761 
			 Hackney 18.700 21.310 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 10.285 11.436 
			 Islington 14.319 15.490 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 8.501 9.122 
			 Lambeth 20.203 21.861 
			 Lewisham 18.730 20.432 
			 Southwark 22.163 23.448 
			 Tower Hamlets 20.745 22.826 
			 Wandsworth 18.514 20.260 
			 Westminster 11.548 12.507 
			 Barking and Dagenham 12.502 13.071 
			 Barnet 18.776 20.921 
			 Bexley 13.224 14.645 
			 Brent 17.803 19.340 
			 Bromley 17.471 18.693 
			 Croydon 21.110 22.364 
			 Ealing 20.486 22.207 
			 Enfield 19.321 20.502 
			 Haringey 17.194 17.726 
			 Harrow 12.370 13.230 
			 Havering 12.737 13.562 
			 Hillingdon 16.879 18.497 
			 Hounslow 14.012 15.554 
			 Kingston upon Thames 8.135 8.666 
			 Merton 10.728 12.226 
			 Newham 24.521 26.786 
			 Redbridge 16.141 17.381 
			 Richmond upon Thames 9.139 10.274 
			 Sutton 10.378 11.140 
			 Waltham Forest 14.763 15.901 
			 Birmingham 67.650 74.008 
			 Coventry 16.779 18.429 
			 Dudley 15.994 17.772 
			 Sandwell 17.672 19.299 
			 Solihull 11.057 11.930 
			 Walsall 15.416 17.040 
			 Wolverhampton 14.130 15.267 
			 Knowsley 9.619 10.360 
			 Liverpool 24.920 26.492 
			 St. Helens 9.394 10.036 
			 Sefton 13.824 14.610 
			 Wirral 16.398 17.713 
			 Bolton 15.549 16.957 
			 Bury 9.863 10.695 
			 Manchester 26.568 28.829 
			 Oldham 14.095 15.780 
			 Rochdale 12.776 13.590 
			 Salford 12.235 13.019 
			 Stockport 14.334 15.381 
			 Tameside 11.601 12.752 
			 Trafford 11.124 12.527 
			 Wigan 15.322 16.927 
			 Barnsley 10.074 10.737 
			 Doncaster 15.426 15.167 
			 Rotherham 13.948 14.952 
			 Sheffield 27.137 29.105 
			 Bradford 31.382 35.437 
			 Calderdale 11.397 12.466 
			 Kirklees 23.664 24.736 
			 Leeds 36.660 39.657 
			 Wakefield 15.152 16.940 
			 Gateshead 9.796 10.314 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 13.162 13.937 
			 North Tyneside 9.984 10.429 
			 South Tyneside 7.591 8.188 
			 Sunderland 14.522 15.446 
			 Isles of Scilly 0.115 0.117 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 7.685 8.252 
			 Bristol, City of 19.260 21.717 
			 North Somerset 8.982 9.780 
			 South Gloucestershire 13.400 14.190 
			 Hartlepool 5.083 5.690 
			 Middlesbrough 8.272 8.857 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 7.241 7.659 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 9.773 10.864 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 13.349 13.484 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 14.198 15.102 
			 North East Lincolnshire 8.202 9.375 
			 North Lincolnshire 7.625 8.174 
			 North Yorkshire 25.554 27.442 
			 York 7.749 8.605 
			 Bedfordshire 19.863 22.117 
			 Luton 13.020 13.984 
			 Buckinghamshire 25.244 27.827 
			 Milton Keynes 13.331 14.761 
			 Derbyshire 35.859 38.499 
			 Derby 13.433 14.979 
			 Dorset 15.938 16.813 
			 Poole 5.759 6.296 
			 Bournemouth 7.076 7.224 
			 Durham 24.190 25.611 
			 Darlington 5.431 5.954 
			 East Sussex 21.535 23.197 
			 Brighton and Hove 10.965 11.435 
			 Hampshire 64.339 69.489 
			 Portsmouth 9.707 10.281 
			 Southampton 12.473 11.501 
			 Leicestershire 29.109 32.315 
			 Leicester 18.737 19.968 
			 Rutland 1.632 1.780 
			 Staffordshire 38.912 41.441 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 12.280 13.623 
			 Wiltshire 21.993 24.620 
			 Swindon 10.181 10.991 
			 Bracknell Forest 5.638 6.062 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 6.291 7.332 
			 West Berkshire 7.198 8.295 
			 Reading 6.484 7.700 
			 Slough 7.848 8.639 
			 Wokingham 6.812 7.691 
			 Cambridgeshire 27.559 29.844 
			 Peterborough 9.959 10.896 
			 Cheshire 32.581 35.642 
			 Halton 6.834 7.140 
			 Warrington 10.383 11.379 
			 Devon 29.000 33.872 
			 Plymouth 12.235 13.012 
			 Torbay 5.965 6.359 
			 Essex 66.744 72.601 
			 Southend-on-Sea 9.392 10.017 
			 Thurrock 8.746 9.257 
			 Herefordshire 7.828 8.378 
			 Worcestershire 26.018 28.179 
			 Kent 71.552 77.073 
			 Medway 13.995 14.893 
			 Lancashire 56.973 61.794 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 9.861 10.677 
			 Blackpool 7.196 7.717 
			 Nottinghamshire 31.646 34.124 
			 Nottingham 14.295 15.190 
			 Shropshire 11 .447 12.303 
			 Telford and Wrekin 9.387 10.019 
			 Cornwall 20.727 22.517 
			 Cumbria 22.036 23.885 
			 Gloucestershire 27.608 29.911 
			 Hertfordshire 61.327 64.540 
			 Isle of Wight 6.113 6.631 
			 Lincolnshire 30.662 33.061 
			 Norfolk 35.729 38.312 
			 Northamptonshire 34.491 37.279 
			 Northumberland 14.518 15.675 
			 Oxfordshire 27.559 29.921 
			 Somerset 23.601 24.791 
			 Suffolk 28.999 31.087 
			 Surrey 56.191 60.526 
			 Warwickshire 25.512 27.498 
			 West Sussex 35.675 39.275 
			  Note: Figures are after damping.

Social Security Benefits: Take-up

Stephen Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the assumed percentage take up rate is for  (a) working tax credit,  (b) pension credit,  (c) council tax benefit by (i) pensioners and (ii) all recipients,  (d) housing benefit and  (e) child tax credit in the public expenditure plans.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 20 April 2007
	Forecasts of expenditure on tax credits are based on case load rather than take-up forecasts.
	Forecasts of pension credit expenditure are based on forecast increases in the pension credit case load, driven primarily by growth in the estimated entitled population.
	Forecasts of housing benefit and council tax benefit expenditure are based on forecast changes in housing benefit case load and average awards. The case load forecasts are driven primarily by changes in the estimated recipient populations for other benefits to which entitlement to housing benefits is related. There are no direct assumptions made for changes in the take-up of housing benefits. If necessary, off-model case load adjustments are used to reflect the impact on take-up of future policy changes.

Taxation: Fuels

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the consultation on the implementation of the EU leisure tax on marine fuel to report.

Stephen Timms: Officials are in the process of discussing with various representative organisations ways of implementing the new regime which will both minimise the impact and ensure that any additional compliance burden is as small as possible. These discussions will inform a consultation to be held later this year and we aim to report on this at the 2007 pre-Budget report.
	As announced at Budget 2007, private pleasure craft owners will continue to be able to use red diesel at the rebated duty rate until 1 November 2008.

Unemployment: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people aged 24 years of age or under were considered to be economically inactive in each London borough in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 4 June 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about economic inactivity. (138907)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of inactivity for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Table 1, attached, shows the number of economically inactive persons aged 16 to 24, resident in the London boroughs, from the annual local area LFS for the 12-month periods ending in February from 1997 to 2004 and from the APS for the 12-month periods ending in March from 2005 to 2006. Table 2 shows these numbers expressed as a percentage of the resident population of the same age.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty. Changes in the estimates over time should be treated with caution.
	
		
			  Table 1: Economically inactive persons aged 16 to 24, London boroughs 
			  Thousand 
			   12 months ending: 
			  London borough  February 1997  February 1998  February 1999  February 2000  February 2001  February 2002  February 2003  February 2004  March 2005  March 2006 
			 Barking and Dagenham 4 5 6 6 8 6 7 7 7 8 
			 Barnet 11 12 9 17 15 12 12 17 22 16 
			 Bexley 7 5 6 5 7 7 8 7 9 8 
			 Brent 12 12 12 15 17 13 17 14 17 14 
			 Bromley 7 8 6 7 9 8 10 10 10 11 
			 Camden 9 9 8 9 9 11 11 8 18 15 
			 City of London (1) 1 1 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Croydon 10 10 11 8 7 9 10 11 14 16 
			 Ealing 13 10 13 11 18 16 19 16 15 16 
			 Enfield 10 10 10 14 12 12 10 11 16 16 
			 Greenwich 9 7 4 7 8 9 10 12 12 9 
			 Hackney 11 9 11 13 11 13 15 13 16 19 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 7 8 7 10 8 6 9 8 8 11 
			 Haringey 11 11 12 11 17 15 12 14 14 16 
			 Harrow 7 8 8 8 4 11 12 10 7 9 
			 Havering 4 5 5 7 5 5 7 4 9 6 
			 Hillingdon 3 8 8 8 8 7 10 9 10 12 
			 Hounslow 9 12 9 7 9 10 11 12 10 8 
			 Islington 7 10 11 6 9 8 10 14 10 12 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 6 6 8 6 4 8 9 8 15 8 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 3 6 5 7 8 6 7 5 9 8 
			 Lambeth 10 12 11 11 12 15 11 11 12 15 
			 Lewisham 8 5 7 10 9 12 11 10 9 13 
			 Merton 4 5 3 3 6 5 4 4 7 9 
			 Newham 10 15 13 16 19 19 19 21 19 15 
			 Redbridge 10 9 9 11 10 9 10 12 15 17 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 4 5 4 3 3 5 4 8 8 9 
			 Southwark 8 12 15 10 11 10 15 16 14 16 
			 Sutton 3 3 4 2 3 4 3 4 6 5 
			 Tower Hamlets 9 12 14 10 18 18 20 16 14 19 
			 Waltham Forest 10 10 11 8 10 12 11 11 11 10 
			 Wandsworth 6 7 7 7 8 7 10 7 12 15 
			 Westminster, City of 7 11 9 9 9 12 10 12 11 15 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Economic inactivity rates for persons aged 16 to 24, London boroughs 
			  Percentage 
			   12 months ending: 
			  London borough  February 1997  February 1998  February 1999  February 2000  February 2001  February 2002  February 2003  February 2004  March 2005  March 2006 
			 Barking and Dagenham 17 28 30 30 38 27 32 40 40 38 
			 Barnet 33 34 28 41 36 35 38 45 57 40 
			 Bexley 25 19 23 23 31 31 29 28 32 33 
			 Brent 38 38 34 35 47 33 46 39 56 41 
			 Bromley 26 28 24 26 31 27 40 34 36 37 
			 Camden 47 60 40 40 42 51 41 34 56 58 
			 City of London (1) 100 61 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Croydon 31 27 29 25 22 24 25 25 38 40 
			 Ealing 41 38 44 30 48 48 47 48 42 43 
			 Enfield 29 30 32 45 35 42 37 36 49 49 
			 Greenwich 35 33 27 35 34 37 40 44 47 35 
			 Hackney 44 37 50 50 52 50 56 49 65 65 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 34 40 36 45 42 31 37 33 42 45 
			 Haringey 36 44 41 34 60 54 48 61 50 56 
			 Harrow 40 37 31 36 24 49 45 39 34 41 
			 Havering 21 18 19 29 23 23 26 17 34 29 
			 Hillingdon 14 27 28 31 37 27 36 38 34 44 
			 Hounslow 41 43 39 27 36 34 42 42 32 31 
			 Islington 31 51 49 28 38 36 46 53 46 49 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 42 52 50 48 34 54 54 49 65 61 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 25 38 33 52 40 33 34 30 43 38 
			 Lambeth 25 33 36 36 32 39 33 37 44 48 
			 Lewisham 31 24 31 35 30 38 38 37 30 49 
			 Merton 22 29 21 21 28 27 21 23 33 42 
			 Newham 35 44 38 47 54 49 51 55 54 48 
			 Redbridge 30 38 36 40 39 36 39 48 54 61 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 26 34 31 24 24 32 28 54 45 55 
			 Southwark 29 33 41 33 36 34 49 46 46 47 
			 Sutton 21 20 19 10 16 19 15 21 30 25 
			 Tower Hamlets 38 40 50 33 50 51 57 49 44 56 
			 Waltham Forest 30 35 39 29 37 37 42 43 44 38 
			 Wandsworth 23 31 24 26 26 27 35 27 38 52 
			 Westminster, City of 39 48 51 46 43 50 45 53 44 55 
			 (1) Sample size too small to provide estimates.  Notes: 1. Estimates are subject to sampling variability. 2. Changes in the estimates over time should be treated with caution.  Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population Survey.

Voucher Schemes: Day Care

Karen Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individual applications were approved under the childcare voucher scheme in each of the last five years.

Edward Balls: This information is not available. The tax and national insurance rules provide an exemption of up to 55 per week where an employer provides employees with vouchers for qualifying child care. Formal application to HMRC is not required nor are employers required to report that they are participating in the child care voucher initiative unless they provide vouchers in excess of the exempt amount.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people reported a change in earnings taking them above the 25,000 income disregard for tax credits in the latest financial year for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: Information on the number of in-work families in receipt of tax credits who estimated that their income had increased by more than 25,000 in 2006-07 is available in table 6.1 of the snapshot publication Child and Working Tax Credit StatisticsApril 2007. This is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/ctc-wtc-snapshot-apr07.pdf.

Welfare Tax Credits

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time taken was to dispatch an award notice to tax credit recipients who reported changed circumstances in each parliamentary constituency in each month from April 2003 to the latest month for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs do not routinely collect data on time taken to dispatch award notices. However, HM Revenue and Customs aim to process 86 per cent. of changes of circumstances within five working days and 95 per cent. in 30 working days and the Department is achieving that aim.

Welfare Tax Credits: Telephone Services

Graham Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how long staff answering customer calls at call centres on behalf of the tax credit office are recommended to spend on each call; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether guidelines are issued to contact centre staff answering calls on behalf of the tax credit office on the number of calls from customers they should deal with each day; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether guidelines are issued to staff at the HM Revenue and Customs Cardiff contact centre on the number of calls from customers they should deal with each day; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how long staff working at the HM Revenue and Customs Cardiff contact centre are expected to spend on each call; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Staff are expected to take the appropriate time to resolve the caller's inquirythere is no national set time for the duration of calls or for the number of calls to be handled.
	As part of their day-to-day management activity, managers actively monitor individual and team performance focussing in particular on the relationship between call quality and call handling times. If appropriate, managers set local individual and team level goals for improvement.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council of England

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings she has held with the Arts Council England since 1 January; and if she will publish the minutes of those meetings.

Shaun Woodward: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with the Arts Council in the course of official business. It is not usual practice to disclose the detail of such meetings.

Arts Council of England: Finance

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding was provided to the Arts Council England in each year since its formation.

Shaun Woodward: The table shows public funding provided to the Arts Council of Great Britain from its formation in 1945. From 1995 onwards the figures represent funding for Arts Council England only.
	
		
			  000 
			  Year ending 31 March  Grant in Aid  Lottery  Total 
			 1945 175  175 
			 1946 235  235 
			 1947 350  350 
			 1948 428  428 
			 1949 575  575 
			 1950 600  600 
			 1951 675  675 
			 1952 875  875 
			 1953 675  675 
			 1954 785  785 
			 1955 785  785 
			 1956 820  820 
			 1957 885  885 
			 1958 985  985 
			 1959 1,100  1,100 
			 1960 1,218  1,218 
			 1961 1,500  1,500 
			 1962 1,745  1,745 
			 1963 2,190  2,190 
			 1964 2,730  2,730 
			 1965 3,205  3,205 
			 1966 3,910  3,910 
			 1967 5,700  5,700 
			 1968 7,200  7,200 
			 1969 7,750  7,750 
			 1970 8,200  8,200 
			 1971 9,300  9.300 
			 1972 11,900  11,900 
			 1973 13,962  13,962 
			 1974 17,138  17,138 
			 1975 24,485  24,485 
			 1976 28,850  28,850 
			 1977 37,150  37,150 
			 1978 41,725  41,725 
			 1979 51,800  51.800 
			 1980 63,630  63,630 
			 1981 70,970  70,970 
			 1982 80,450  80,450 
			 1983 91,300  91,300 
			 1984 96,080  96,080 
			 1985 101,900  101,900 
			 1986 106,050  106,050 
			 1987 135,600  135,600 
			 1988 139,300  139.300 
			 1989 152,411  152.411 
			 1990 155,500  155,500 
			 1991 175,792  175,792 
			 1992 205,000  205,000 
			 1993 221,200  221.200 
			 1994 225,830  225.830 
			 1995 185,990 48,900 234,890 
			 1996 191,133 255,360 446,493 
			 1997 185,133 262,802 447,935 
			 1998 186,600 297,648 484.248 
			 1999 189,950 241,748 431.698 
			 2000 228,250 215,196 443,446 
			 2001 237,155 204,874 442,029 
			 2002 251,455 210,688 462.143 
			 2003 289,405 178,331 467,736 
			 2004 324,955 164,491 489,446 
			 2005 368,859 170,195 539,054 
			 2006 408,678 172,575 581.253

Arts: Taxation

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact of deduction of tax at source from the remuneration payable to self-employed contractors in the arts field who were previously regarded as freelancers; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made no assessment of any impact of deduction of tax at source from the remuneration payable to self-employed contractors in the arts field who were previously regarded as freelancers.

BBC

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on the BBC Jam service prior to its suspension.

Shaun Woodward: This is a matter for the BBC. The BBC inform us that spend on BBC Jam to the end of March 2007 was 79 million.

BBC

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she had with the BBC Trust prior to its decision to suspend the BBC Jam service.

Shaun Woodward: Government officials had discussions with the BBC Trust Unit about the European Commission's request for a review of BBC Jam. However, the decision to suspend the service was a matter for decision by the Trust.

BBC

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the implications for the BBC Trust's public service broadcasting obligations of its decision to suspend its BBC Jam services; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: None. It is the responsibility of the Trust to determine, within the framework of the Charter and Agreement, how the BBC's obligations are best fulfilled. It is disappointing that the Jam service has been suspended but we understand the reasons for the Trust's decision.

British Library

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the visitor numbers recorded for the British Library were for the latest year for which figures are available; and what change this represents from  (a) the previous year and  (b) each of the previous five years.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			  Number of visits to reading rooms( 1) 
			   Visits  Percentage increase 
			 2006-07 474,074  
			 2005-06 462,207 2.5 
			 2001-02 431,525 9.9 
			 (1 )Comprising manual tickets issued to readers at St. Pancras; headcounts taken three times a day for the open access reading rooms at St. Pancras; daily counts of visitors to reading rooms at Boston Spa, Colindale and Philatelic Section. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of visits to on-site public access facilities( 1) 
			   Visits  Percentage increase 
			 2006-07 510,212  
			 2005-06 385,263 32.4 
			 2001-02 365,792 39.5 
			 (1) Comprising number of visits to the exhibitions, auditorium events for the public and piazza events. 2005-06 Exhibition gallery visits adversely affected by terrorist activities in the vicinity. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of learners attending educational sessions( 1) 
			   Visits  Percentage increase 
			 2006-07 10,127  
			 2005-06 9,500 6.6 
			 2001-02 7,604 33.2 
			 (1) Number of individual learners (schools/FE colleges) who have participated in a workshop, outreach visit or project activity. 
		
	
	
		
			  Website visitors( 1) 
			   Visits  Percentage increase 
			 2006-07 7,920,127  
			 2005-06 4,229,076 87.3 
			 2001-02 n/a n/a 
			 (1) Best approximation of the use made of the BL website by individuals. Figures not available for 2001-02

Broadcasting Programmes: Children

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what response she has made to the recent Ofcom report on the trend in levels of spending on domestically-originated television programming for UK children; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: None. The data on spending on domestically-originated programming for UK children represent one strand of the Ofcom review of children's television. I await the conclusion of the review with interest.

Cultural Heritage: Barwick in Elmet

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action English Heritage is taking under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 to protect and enhance the Barwick in Elmet Earthworks.

Shaun Woodward: In July 2006, using its powers under Section 17 of the Act, English Heritage provided a grant for the site to be cleared of scrub and rubbish, for fencing to be erected, steps to be repaired and access improved. These works were completed satisfactorily. The site was also successful in attracting Heritage Lottery funding for a Local Heritage Initiative to, among other things, increase access. A programme of community involvement is in development to supplement this and a Scheduled Monument Consent application is currently being considered for the installation of notice and information boards.

Cultural Heritage: Climate Change

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if her Department will take steps to include measures required to accommodate the effects of climate change on heritage sites and the historic environment in future heritage protection legislation.

Shaun Woodward: We do not envisage that any future heritage protection legislation to enact the reforms proposed in the White Paper, Heritage Protection for the 21st Century, will include specific measures on climate change. However our proposals for reform will enable more flexible management arrangements for historic assets and allow for a wider range of historic assets to be protected. Both of these measures could be used to accommodate measures to address the effects of climate change.
	DCMS is also looking to initiate a project in consultation with its NDPB's, including English Heritage, which will record and summarise their current activities to mitigate and support adaptation to climate changes and produce an estimate of the Department's and NDPB's carbon footprint.

Cultural Heritage: Climate Change

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will issue guidance to relevant organisations to which her Department provides funding on matters concerning the impact of climate change on heritage sites and the historic environment.

Shaun Woodward: DCMS is currently scoping a project to address potential climate change impacts on all our sectors, including heritage sites and the historic environment. The findings from the project will help to shape any recommendations to the organisations to which DCMS provides funding. English Heritage, the Government's statutory adviser on the historic environment, is developing a website tool to help the public understand the implications of climate change for older buildings in private ownership, and is planning a major conference on climate change early next year.

Cultural Heritage: Seas and Oceans

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if her Department will take steps to consolidate and update legislation on the protection of marine heritage.

Shaun Woodward: The White Paper, Heritage Protection for the 21st Century, published in March, set out our policy to develop an improved system of UK-wide marine heritage protection. We will be seeking parliamentary time for legislation to introduce these reforms. DCMS has also been closely involved with DEFRA throughout the development of proposals for a Marine Bill.

Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many times her Department was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: DCMS has not been found in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in any of the last five years.

Departments: Epilepsy

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people with epilepsy are employed by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Personal health records are confidential. 2 per cent. of people working in DCMS have declared a disability. DCMS is a very small Department so we are unable to provide specific information about epilepsy requested, on the grounds of confidentiality.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by her Department on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: On the basis of available records, the total cost to the Department of external legal advice in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year   
			 2002-03 524,059.86 
			 2003-04 490,242.08 
			 2004-05 791,050.23 
			 2005-06 456,480.95 
			 2006-07 251,011.67

Departments: Ministerial Policy Advisors

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of her Department's special advisers were on  (a) paid and  (b) unpaid leave in order to assist with party political matters under section 22 (iii) of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers on 16 May 2007; and how many days' leave each adviser was granted.

David Lammy: Special advisers' involvement in party political matters is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, including section 22 (iii), and the guidance issued by the Cabinet Secretary in December 2006 and May 2007, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

Departments: Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what operating grants were allocated to each of the non-departmental public bodies for which her Department is responsible in each of the last five years; and what change this represented in each case from the previous year.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Operating grant allocated to DCMS non-departmental public bodies 
			  000 
			  Body  2003-04  +/-  2004-05  +/-  2005-06  +/-  2006-07  +/-  Plans 2007-08 
			 British Museum 37,699 300 37,999 216 38,215 4,639 42,854 1,969 44,823 
			 Natural History Museum 39,603 44 39,647 433 40,080 3,055 43,135 2,030 45,165 
			 Imperial War Museum 16,541 950 17,491 320 17,811 2,802 20,613 1,564 22,177 
			 National Gallery 20,499 728 21,227 233 21,460 2,581 24,041 1,525 25,566 
			 National Maritime Museum 13,945 1,786 15,731 -906 14,825 2,263 17,088 1,323 18,411 
			 National Museums Liverpool 17,332 1 17,333 346 17,679 3,274 20,953 873 21,826 
			 National Portrait Gallery 5,712 396 6,108 55 6,163 597 6,760 278 7,038 
			 National Museum of Science and Industry 34,750 -1,631 33,119 -237 32,882 2,815 35,697 2,787 38,484 
			 National Coal Mining Museum of England 2,408 -3 2,405 21 2,426 102 2,528 131 2,659 
			 Tate Gallery 30,282 -401 29,881 530 30,411 3,213 33,624 2,305 35,929 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum 34,839 1,286 36,125 656 36,781 2,831 39,612 2,908 42,520 
			 Wallace Collection 3,013 -439 2,574 -79 2,495 1,033 3,528 628 4,156 
			 Museum of Science and Industry Manchester 3,199 310 3,509 231 3,740 394 4,134 37 4,171 
			 Museum of London 6,574 -68 6,506 70 6,576 1,355 7,931 878 8,809 
			 Sir John Soane's Museum 1074 -105 969 -193 776 407 1,183 -111 1,072 
			 Horniman Museum 3281 378 3,659 23 3,682 250 3,932 418 4,350 
			 Geffrye Museum 1,199 612 1,811 -380 1,431 256 1,687 269 1,956 
			 Royal Armouries 6,286 601 6,887 226 7,113 541 7,654 658 8,312 
			 National Football Museum 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 
			 People's History Museum 150 0 150 0 150 6 156 8 164 
			 Tyne and Wear Museums 1,100 100 1,200 510 1,710 151 1,861 465 2,326 
			 Design Museum 200 380 580 -240 340 143 483 20 503 
			 British Library 88,929 2,664 91,593 3,500 95,093 7,496 102,589 1,822 104,411 
			 Public Lending Right 7,201 180 7,381 19 7,400 302 7,702 -20 7,682 
			 Museums Libraries and Archives Council 13,393 65 13,458 806 14,264 1,117 15,381 -860 14,521 
			 Arts Council of England 335,455 30,000 365,455 45,000 410,455 10,500 420,955 -3,000 417,955 
			 Football Licensing Authority 1,125 0 1,125 100 1,225 140 1,365 -104 1,261 
			 UK Sports Council 19,600 7,710 27,310 1,995 29,305 22,800 52,105 10,900 63,005 
			 Sport England 60,775 12,470 73,245 6,525 79,770 35,693 115,463 500 115,963 
			 Royal Household 16,407 -850 15,557 2,670 18,227 -2,120 16,107 0 16,107 
			 English Heritage 123,237 878 124,115 8,400 132,515 -379 132,136 1,000 133,136 
			 National Heritage Memorial Fund 5,000 0 5,000 2 5,002 0 5,002 5,000 10,002 
			 Churches Conservation Trust 3,000 0 3,000 0 3,000 62 3,062 0 3,062 
			 Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment 3,530 500 4,030 660 4,690 0 4,690 0 4,690 
			 Visit Britain 47,200 -2,700 44,500 -1,000 43,500 6,460 49,960 -60 49,900 
			 UK Film Council 24,110 800 24,910 -800 24,110 0 24,110 0 24,110 
			 The National Film and Television School 2,800 0 2,800 100 2,900 0 2,900 0 2,900 
			 National Lottery Commission 4,942 0 4,942 2,620 7,562 -2,620 4,942 9,059 14,001 
			 Spaces for Sport and Arts 68,118 -40,660 27,458   
			 Gaming Board for Great Britain/Gambling Commission 2,885 -500 2,385 9,747 12,132 -3,911 8,221 -4,001 4,220

Departments: Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what efficiency savings  (a) her Department has sought from and  (b) have been achieved by each of the non-departmental public bodies for which her Department is responsible in the last five years.

David Lammy: As announced in the 2004 spending review, the Department has a target to make 262 million efficiency savings by 2007-08. This includes a sub-target of 114 million efficiency savings by NDPBs. This sub-target has now been exceeded. At 31 March 2007, NDPBs had made the following savings:
	
		
			  NDPB sector  2006-07 provisional gains  2007-08 target 
			 Museums and galleries 52.9 45 
			 Heritage bodies 13.3 14 
			 Strategic bodies 64.5 55 
			 Total 130.7 114 
		
	
	DCMS did not set targets for individual NDPBs but asked them to identify what savings they could achieve. The majority of 2006-07 data is still provisional and although we can be confident in the approximate accuracy of the overall figure, individual NDPB figures are subject to fluctuation. The 2005-06 gains, validated by the bodies, are:
	
		
			  NDPB  2005-06 gains (000) 
			 Natural History Museum 3,909 
			 British Museum 7,189 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum 2,275 
			 National Museum of Science and Industry 2,690 
			 Tate 1,545 
			 National Gallery 1,440 
			 National Museums Liverpool 2,728 
			 Imperial War Museum 679 
			 Nation Maritime Museum 2,454 
			 Royal Armouries 232 
			 Museum of London 1,937 
			 National Portrait Gallery 390 
			 Horniman Museum 59 
			 Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester 105 
			 Wallace Collection 130 
			 Geffrye Museum 2 
			 Sir John Soane Museum 15 
			 British Library 12,059 
			 Public Lending Right 41 
			 Sub-total, museums and galleries 39,879 
			   
			 English Heritage 6,490 
			 Royal Parks 521 
			 CABE 230 
			 Sub-total, heritage 7,241 
			   
			 Arts Council England 23,383 
			 Sport England 7,964 
			 UK Sport 613 
			 VisitBritain 6,656 
			 MLA 750 
			 UK Film Council 2,920 
			 Sub-total, strategic bodies 42,286 
			   
			 Total 89,406 
		
	
	Progress at achieving savings has been periodically revised as NDPBs have implemented the programme, for example, where they have been able to validate additional savings. This means that these individual figures are higher than the aggregate total reported to HM Treasury in 2005-06, which has previously appeared in published reports.
	In the SR2002 period (2003-06), the British Library, the British Museum, Sport England, the tourism bodies, English Heritage and the Lottery bodies undertook modernisation programmes as part of the Department's PSA4 target. All targets relating to PSA4 were met, as detailed in the Department's 2005 and 2006 autumn performance reports, copies of which are available in the House Library.

Departments: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what grants for which her Department is responsible have been given to Peterborough city council since 1997; and what the value was of such grants.

Shaun Woodward: In the revenue return to Communities and Local Government, Peterborough reported that it has received no grants between 1997-98 and 2006-07 from my Department. These specific grants are those inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF) (i.e. revenue grants paid for councils' core services) paid to Peterborough and exclude grants outside AEF such as capital grants, funding for local authorities' housing management responsibilities, European funding; or where authorities are simply one of the recipients of funding paid towards an area.
	These revenue returns do not therefore detail the money that is paid out by the National Lottery, DCMS non-departmental public bodies and other sources. Departmental data indicates that the following grants were paid to Peterborough.
	The following table shows the number and value of grants on the Department's Lottery Grants Database (which uses information supplied by the lottery distributors) where the name of the recipient is recorded as Peterborough city council. Lottery distributing bodies make grant decisions independently of my Department.
	
		
			  Calendar year  Number of Grants  Value of grants to nearest 1,000 
			 1997 1 15,000 
			 1998 1 54,000 
			 1999 1 629,000 
			 2000 3 528,000 
			 2001 6 490,000 
			 2002 6 653,000 
			 2003 12 1,326,000 
			 2004 5 1,480,000 
			 2005 4 401,000 
			 2006 0 0 
			 2007 (to date) 0 0 
			 Total 39 5,578,000 
		
	
	Arts Council England has provided grants totalling 204,659 to Peterborough
	city council since 1997, see following table.
	
		
			   Project  Value of Grant 
			 1997-98 Consultancy for Peterborough Arts Strategy 7,500 
			 1998-99 To support the salary of a literature development worker in Peterborough 4,500 
			 1998-99 Towards 'Once Upon a Time' video drama project, from the Media Production fund 4,000 
			 1998-99 Many Voices, One City project 1,500 
			 1998-99 To support artists' fees, venue hire and publicity costs of the Peterborough Festival of Stories 1,000 
			 1999-2000 To support the salary of a literature development worker for Peterborough 4,500 
			 2000-01 ESF Project Funding 5,334 
			 2001-02 To present and promote a programme of contemporary art and digital 1 art at the Museum and Art gallery 7,426 
			 2002-03 New Media Gallery 132,899 
			 2002-03 To link the launch of the New Media Gallery with the regional 'MESH' event in April 2003. The project will commission new work 36,000 
			 Total  204,659 
		
	
	English Heritage has provided grants totalling 99,651 to Peterborough city
	council since 1997, see following table.
	
		
			Value of  g rant () 
			 1997 Conservation Area Partnership Scheme 18,937 
			 1998 Conservation Area Partnership Scheme 3,322 
			 1999 Conservation Area Partnership Scheme 17,767 
			 2005 Peterborough's First People Project 59,625 
			 Total  99,651 
		
	
	Sport England has provided one grant to Peterborough city council since 1997 of 100,000 for Woodford Skate Park in 2004.
	Screen East, the Regional Screen Agency, has provided grants totalling 11,000 to Peterborough city council since 1997, see following table.
	
		
			  Date  Project  Value of grant () 
			 4 July 2005 Children's  Young People's Film Awards 5,000 
			 29 September 2006 Children's  Young People's Film Awards 6,000 
			 Total  11,000

Departments: Publicity

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which  (a) advertising agencies and  (b) other organisations supplied consultancy services for advertising campaigns for (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies in each of the last five years; and what the cost of these services was.

Shaun Woodward: The information is as follows:
	 (a) (b) (i) The Department had a zero spend on advertising between 2000 and 2002. The expenditure and agencies used for advertising and consultancy for advertising campaigns from 2003 has been as follows:
	
		
			   Agency/Organisation   
			 2003-04 Central Office of Information (COI) 20,987 
			 2004-05 COI 37,085 
			 2005-06 COI 139,578 
			 2006-07 COI 3,580.89 
		
	
	(ii) The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Publicity

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on advertising by  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The information is as follows:
	
		
			   (a) spend () 
			 2003-04 20,987 
			 2004-05 37,085 
			 2005-06 139,578 
			 2006-07 3,580.89 
			 Total 201,230.89 
		
	
	(b) This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department and its agencies paid to recruitment consultants in each year since 1997.

Shaun Woodward: The Department and its agency, the Royal Parks, do not separately identify the cost of recruitment consultants from other recruitment costs such as advertising. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Digital Broadcasting: Broadcasting Reception

Bill Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of households can currently receive digital terrestrial transmission in the  (a) Anglia,  (b) Border,  (c) Central,  (d) Granada,  (e) London,  (f) Meridian,  (g) STV Central,  (h) STV North,  (i) Tyne Tees,  (j) Ulster,  (k) Wales, (l) West,  (m) West Country and  (n) Yorkshire ITV regions.

Shaun Woodward: We do not have figures for digital terrestrial transmission by ITV region. Ofcom hold the following information on DTT coverage by Government region:
	54 per cent. of households in the East of England;
	94 per cent. of households in the north-west of England;
	82 per cent. of households in Scotland;
	74 per cent. of households in the West Midlands;
	74 per cent. of households in the East Midlands;
	86 per cent. of households in London;
	58 per cent. of households in the south-east;
	89 per cent. of households in the north-east;
	58 per cent. of households in Northern Ireland;
	57 per cent. of households in Wales;
	62 per cent. of households in the south-west; and
	82 per cent. of households in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Digital Broadcasting: Scotland

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households qualifying for assistance in switching over to digital television in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland will be required to pay a 40 fee to access assistance.

Shaun Woodward: The information is not available in the form requested.
	We estimate about 49 per cent. of Scottish households in the Grampian and Scottish TV regions eligible for help will qualify for free assistance under the Digital Switchover Help Scheme; 51 per cent. of households in the Grampian and Scottish TV regions eligible for help will qualify for assistance to which there is a 40 charge.
	For the Border region covering England and Scotland (but excluding Whitehaven and the Isle of Man), we estimate that 41 per cent. of eligible households will qualify for free assistance; 59 per cent. of eligible households will qualify for assistance to which there is a 40 charge.

Football: Tickets

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to prevent the re-sale of tickets for football matches  (a) on the street and  (b) online.

Shaun Woodward: The resale of tickets for football matches on the street and online is prohibited under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, as amended by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. It is a matter for the police.

Leisure: Training

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the chief executive of People 1st on the national skills strategy for the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sectors on the account taken of environmental sustainability in the delivery of the strategy.

Shaun Woodward: People 1st regularly attend the Ministerial Advisory Group on the Tourism Strategy for the 2012 Games. DCMS works closely with People 1st on improving skills and retention rates across the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries. Officials have regular meetings with their Chief Executive.
	The industry-led National Skills Strategy (NSS) for England contains a Ten Point Plan of action to improve skills and retention levels. Research indicates that industry increasingly recognises the need to adopt sustainable practices and the NSS will take this into account in implementation and delivery. In particular, the UK Skills Passport, qualifications reform and the National Hospitality Skills Academy (Points 1, 2 and 8 of the Plan) are important developments which can help promote the sustainability agenda. For example, there are currently no publicly funded training programmes for sector businesses which reflect the trend toward a sustainable business approach and this will be considered as part of the wider qualifications reform programme and in the new and innovative programmes developed by the Skills Academy.
	Sustainability will be fully integrated and built into the Department's tourism policies and practices, including skills. This is a key theme running throughout our Tourism Strategy for the 2012 Games, due to be launched later this summer, which will balance the needs of visitors, industry, community and the environment.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what effect the use of Lottery funding for the 2012 Olympic Games will have on funding of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: Subject to parliamentary approval 4.5 million will be transferred to the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund between 2009 and 2012 from the balance of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI). On current projections, even after this contribution, and any sales diversion effect from Olympic Lottery products, ACNI should still have around 20 million of fresh Lottery income over those four years. Existing commitments need not be affected by the additional Olympic transfer.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will  (a) consult shooting organisations on the location for Olympic shooting events and  (b) reconsider the decision to site them at Woolwich; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Great Britain Target Shooting Federation and International Shooting Federation were previously involved in the decisions regarding the change of shooting venue from the National Shooting Centre, Bisley to the current venue at the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich.
	The Royal Artillery Barracks are part of the Host City Contract agreement with the IOC and are deemed to provide a more compact Games that allowed athletes to train and compete within 30 minutes travel time of the Olympic Village. There are currently no plans to move the Olympic shooting events to an alternative venue.

Sport England: Finance

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the funding allocation for Sport England is for each of the next two financial years.

Richard Caborn: It will not be possible to confirm the funding allocation to Sport England for the next two financial years until the outcome of the comprehensive spending review 2007 is known.

Sports: Apprentices

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to extend the young apprenticeship in sports management leadership and coaching pilot project.

Richard Caborn: The Young Apprenticeships in Sports Management, Leadership and Coaching were first delivered in September 2005 as part of the Department for Education and Skills' Young Apprenticeship programme.
	An expansion of the Young Apprenticeship programme has been approved to start in September 2007 which will see the number of pupils on the Young Apprenticeship in Sports Management, Leadership and Coaching increase from 350 currently to around 1000. The number of Young Apprenticeship partnerships will also rise from 13 to 46.
	SkillsActive (the Sector Skills Council for Active Leisure and Learning) is working closely with a network of specialist Sports Colleges, particularly those also with vocational specialisms to ensure the Young Apprenticeship is established nationwide as a viable opportunity to those entering Key Stage 4.

Stonehenge

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library a copy of the report prepared and sent in response to the request from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2005 to send them a report on progress in resolving the A303 Stonehenge Improvement Scheme; and when the report was sent.

Shaun Woodward: I am arranging for copies of the 2005 Reactive Monitoring Report for the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites World Heritage Site to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The report was sent to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre on 31 January 2005.

Tickets: Touting

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's code of practice on ticket touting in reducing that practice.

Shaun Woodward: The Department has held four summits with the primary and secondary ticket markets and agreed a Statement of Collective Agreement. We continue to engage with stakeholders, both to benefit and protect the public. We will continue the dialogue with industry to tackle ticket touting.

Tickets: Touting

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance her Department has issued to internet auction sites on ticket touting; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: None. At a meeting with key stakeholders in April 2006, a Statement of Principles was presented and agreed, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Ministers continue discussions with all stakeholders including principal online auction sites, to find solutions to ticket touting concerns.

Tickets: Touting

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with representatives of  (a) music concerts,  (b) music festivals,  (c) sporting events and  (d) theatres on ticket touting; when such discussions took place; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Ministers met representatives from the music industry at the fourth summit meeting on ticket touting on 8 February 2007 and met with the five major professional sports governing bodies on 16 May 2007. DCMS officials met the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers, who represent ticket agents, theatre and others, on 17 May 2007 and with senior representatives from the UK major events industry on 23 May 2007. Discussions continue with key interested parties on finding solutions to tackle further ticket touting.

Tourism: Costal Areas

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much VisitBritain spent in promoting British seaside destinations in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: VisitBritain actively promotes seaside destinations to the inbound and domestic tourism markets, in partnership with regional and local partners where appropriate. The amounts it has spent in this way cannot be disaggregated from its general marketing spending.
	By way of illustration, however, over the period 2004-05 to 2005-06, VisitBritain spent 363,000 on the EnjoyEngland WatersideEngland campaign, which includes the promotion of seaside locations. VisitBritain was also active in promoting the SeaBritain campaign in 2005.

Tourism: Irish

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many tourists from the Irish Republic visited the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Shaun Woodward: The number of visits to the UK from the Irish Republic since 1995 is shown in the table. This information is taken from the International Passenger Survey and primarily gives an annual estimate of the number of visits to the UK via air and sea routes. However, an estimate of visitor flows across the land border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland has also been included in the figures.
	
		
			  Visits to the UK from the Irish Republic ( 1 ) 1995-2005 
			   Visits (000) 
			 1995 2,809 
			 1996 3,169 
			 1997 3,613 
			 1998 3,937 
			 1999 4,233 
			 2000 3,961 
			 2001 3,930 
			 2002 3,965 
			 2003 3,913 
			 2004 4,125 
			 2005 4,221 
			 (1) Changes were made to the IPS methodology in 1999 to improve the quality and detail of estimates of travellers to and from the Irish Republic. Care should be taken when comparing results for 1999 and 2000 with earlier years.  Source:  International Passenger Survey (ONS).

Tourism: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which 10 tourist attractions in the Peterborough city council area attracted the largest number of visitors in each year since 1997.

Shaun Woodward: VisitBritain holds data on tourist attractions which participate in its surveys. Visitor number figures are available for the following attractions in the vicinity of Peterborough since 2000:
	
		
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Nene Valley Railway N/A 64,606 52,571 51,813 55,642 57,506 
			 Activity World and Animal World N/A 50,000 52,874 51,780 74,165 N/A 
			 Peterborough Cathedral 48,700 46,706 48,291 54,153 60,563 59,412E 
			 Railworld 3,405 3,260 3,466 3,130 N/A N/A 
			 Peterborough Museum/Art Gallery 34,000 32,041 33,183 31,003 31,088 38,784 
			 Flag Fen Bronze Age Centre 14,924 13,929 15,490 17,800 65,780 66,266 
			 Thorney Abbey Church N/A 600 800 1,000 1,500 N/A 
			 Thorney Heritage Museum 578 948 743 649 672 597

VisitBritain

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions she has met the current Chairman of VisitBritain; what the agenda was for each meeting; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met the chairman of VisitBritain on 22 January and on 24 April 2007. I met VisitBritain's chairman on 19 February 2007. Among other matters discussed on each occasion were VisitBritain's role in maximising the opportunities for tourism from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games, and the refocusing of VisitBritain's activities in preparation for these.

VisitBritain

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the adequacy of VisitBritain's funding against its objectives.

Shaun Woodward: VisitBritain's objectives are set out in its Funding Agreement with the Department, a copy of which is lodged in the Library of the House. These objectives were agreed to ensure the best possible support for the British tourism industry.
	VisitBritain's future funding levels are presently being considered as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

VisitBritain

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans and resources VisitBritain has to change the scope of its operation in countries that have acceded to the European Union since 1997; what assessment she has made of the potential for growth in such markets; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: VisitBritain has monitored and analysed the opportunities in the expanding market represented by the 12 countries that have acceded to the European Union since 1997.
	Following this analysis, VisitBritain is active in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, where the evidence suggests the return on investment can currently be maximised. VisitBritain opened a new office in Budapest in early 2007, with Hungary and the Czech Republic falling under its remit. VisitBritain's work in Poland, which was previously the responsibility of its Berlin office, is being integrated into the Budapest office. The number of staff employed in marketing work in these countries has not been affected by the re-structuring proposals which VisitBritain announced recently.
	Global Insight has forecast that the total world market from these countries will increase, in terms of outbound overnight visits between 2005 and 2010, as follows:
	
		
			   Visits (millions)  
			   2005  2010  Percentage increase 
			 Czech Republic 3.2 4.4 37.5 
			 Hungary 2.4 3.2 33.3 
			 Poland 5.8 7.7 32.7 
		
	
	A market profile for each of these countries is available on VisitBritain's industry website
	www.tourismtrade.org.uk.

VisitBritain

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of the recent job reductions announced by VisitBritain are of posts located in  (a) the UK,  (b) other European Union member states,  (c) North America and  (d) other countries; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: VisitBritain is currently consulting on its proposals for re-structuring its overseas marketing operations. The changes are designed to focus VisitBritain's activities on developing markets, and to meet the challenges posed by emerging market trends such as the move away from printed consumer literature, and towards online marketing. The UK consultation process will end on 31 May.
	The number of posts, by location, which VisitBritain proposes to reduce as part of its present re-structuring process is as follows:
	 (a) in the UK, 55;
	 (b) in other European Union member states, 29;
	 (c) in North America, none; and
	 (d) in other countries, none.
	In the UK, VisitBritain proposes to discontinue 45 vacant posts, to make 20 posts redundant, and to create 10 new posts. VisitBritain proposes to increase staffing levels in the Asia Pacific region.

VisitBritain

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of the recent job reductions announced by VisitBritain will be in tourism research and statistics; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: VisitBritain is currently consulting on proposals to achieve economies of scale by means of a net reduction of two domestic and international research posts in research and statistics.

VisitBritain: Finance

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what resources will be made available to VisitBritain for promoting overseas visits to the UK during and following the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: VisitBritain is contributing fully to the tourism strategy for 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games, which my Department expects to publish shortly. Should the strategy have implications for the levels of grant-in-aid funding allocated to VisitBritain's overseas marketing activities, these will be considered in the context of the present comprehensive spending review. That review is due to be completed in the autumn.

World Heritage Sites: Greater London

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what response she has made to UNESCO's proposal to remove Westminster and the Tower of London from the list of world heritage sites; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: UNESCO has not proposed to remove either the Tower of London or Westminster from the list of World Heritage Sites. The World Heritage Committee has raised concerns about the potential impact of tall building developments in the environs of both sites. My Department invited a UNESCO/ICOMOS mission to London to discuss these concerns and we will respond to the World Heritage Committee on the findings of the mission in time for the Committee's 31st session in June.

TRANSPORT

A14: Lorries

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what factors he took into account in implementing a ban on allowing HGV vehicles to overtake on the A14; what criteria were used to select the A14; if he will implement such a ban on parts of the M18; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The A14 between M1 junction 19 at Catthorpe and junction 2 at Kelmarsh has particularly long uphill gradients. This section of road was included in a study carried out in 2002 which analysed long uphill gradients along the A14 trunk road. The study identified problems with congestion caused by overtaking HGVs at this particular location.
	The two sections of the A14 between Catthorpe and Cold Ashby eastbound and between Kelmarsh and Cold Ashby westbound, are clear of junctions and it was for this reason that this particular section of the A14 was selected for the trial project.
	The Highways Agency aims to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety. Through this trial, which restricts HGVs from overtaking along this busy section of the A14, it is expected that journey times will improve and the traffic will flow more smoothly.
	Traffic behaviour on the A14 was monitored prior to the trial and will continue to be monitored, during and after its 18-month duration. Depending on the findings, the Agency will decide whether or not to make the restriction permanent.
	There are no current plans to restrict heavy goods vehicles from overtaking on the M18.

Aviation: Radioactive Wastes

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many flights have taken place in which  (a) spent nuclear fuel and  (b) nuclear waste was carried within United Kingdom airspace since 2001; what the (i) place of origin and (ii) destination was of each flight; and what volume of material was carried on each.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department does not hold information in the form requested.

Central Trains: Manpower

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has held with Central Trains on staffing levels on services between Shropshire, Wales and Birmingham New Street station.

Tom Harris: The responsibility for staffing levels on any specific train service is a matter for the train operating company concerned.

Driving Instruction: Manpower

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many qualified driving  (a) instructors and  (b) examiners there were in England in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of driving instructors and examiners recorded by the Driving Standards Agency as qualified is shown in the following table. Due to a change in IT systems, the number of DSA examiners is not known prior to 2005.
	
		
			   Approved driving instructors  DSA examiners 
			 1997 32,497 n/k 
			 1998 30,500 n/k 
			 1999 29,185 n/k 
			 2000 29,103 n/k 
			 2001 29,626 n/k 
			 2002 29,962 n/k 
			 2003 31,786 n/k 
			 2004 33,306 n/k 
			 2005 36,252 1,875 
			 2006 39,001 1,946 
			 2007 41,507 1,847 
			 n/k = not known

Driving Tests

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many driving tests for the car were taken in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The Driving Standards Agency records the tests conducted figure by financial year, and only has records from 1999-2000 onwards. The number of car driving tests conducted per year is shown as follows.
	
		
			  Practical tests conducted 
			   Number 
			 1999-2000 1,129,904 
			 2000-01 1,129,849 
			 2001-02 1,217,515 
			 2002-03 1,348,191 
			 2003-04 1,399,385 
			 2004-05 1,676,147 
			 2005-06 1,836,867 
			 2006-07 1,789,882

Driving Tests

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the overall pass rate was for those taking car driving tests in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) measures the car driving test pass rate by financial year, and only has records from 1999-2000 onwards. The pass rate percentage by year is shown as follows.
	
		
			   Pass rate (percentage) 
			 1999-2000 44.1 
			 2000-01 43.9 
			 2001-02 42.3 
			 2002-03 43.2 
			 2003-04 42.7 
			 2004-05 42,4 
			 2005-06 42.6 
			 2006-07 43.4

Driving Tests

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people passed their car driving test at the  (a) first,  (b) second,  (c) third,  (d) fourth and  (e) fifth attempt in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) age and (ii) sex.

Stephen Ladyman: The Driving Standards Agency did not record number of driving test attempts before April 2004, and determining the amount of attempts by age could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The passes by attempt and gender for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 are shown as follows.
	
		
			   Passes 
			  2006-07  
			  Test attempt (male)  
			 1 183,133 
			 2 105,944 
			 3 56,363 
			 4 29,960 
			 5 15,227 
			   
			  Test attempt (female)  
			 1 147,904 
			 2 95,902 
			 3 55,755 
			 4 31,320 
			 5 16,795 
			  2005-06  
			  Test attempt (male)  
			 1 184,304 
			 2 108,698 
			 3 57,414 
			 4 29,600 
			 5 15,067 
			   
			   
			  Test attempt (female)  
			 1 145,063 
			 2 97,856 
			 3 57,538 
			 4 32,208 
			 5 17,669 
			   
			  2004-05  
			  Test attempt (male)  
			 1 200,719 
			 2 99,894 
			 3 41,196 
			 4 15,877 
			  5,716 
			  Test attempt (female)  
			 1 169,565 
			 2 97,704 
			 3 44,396 
			 4 17,970 
			 5 6,870

Driving: Licensing

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many drivers are licensed to drive motor vehicles on public roads in Great Britain.

Stephen Ladyman: On 8 May 2007 there were 42,289,023 drivers licensed to drive motor vehicles on public roads in Great Britain.

Driving: Licensing

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) provisional,  (b) full and  (c) repeat provisional driving licences were issued in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: See following table for the total number of licences issued between 1997 and 2006.
	
		
			   Total 
			 1997 6,718,570 
			 1998 6,186,831 
			 1999 5,394,258 
			 2000 5,372,457 
			 2001 5,955,405 
			 2002 4,820,503 
			 2003 6,619,823 
			 2004 6,957,384 
			 2005 7,029,344 
			 2006 7,587,193 
		
	
	The breakdown of these figures into full and provisional licences is not available. We do not have figures for the numbers of repeat provisional driving licences.

Great Western Trains

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action First Great Western is taking to improve its  (a) 143,  (b) 150,  (c) 153 and  (d) 158 class diesel multiple units.

Tom Harris: The First Great Western (FGW) franchise agreement commits FGW to a number of reliability modifications to these classes of diesel multiple units, from an initial interior refresh and a further interior refresh later in the franchise, to a new external livery and to the fitting of CCTV.

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2006,  Official Report, column 750-51W, on Heathrow Airport, what estimate his Department has made of the likely increase in the number of private motor vehicles travelling to and from Heathrow Airport which would result from an additional 61 million passengers per year; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Government are currently assessing all the impacts associated with a potential third runway at Heathrow airport, including the impacts on local roads. We will report the findings as part of the Heathrow consultation later this year.

Lorries: Tachographs

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the  (a) introduction of digital tachographs in heavy goods vehicles and  (b) reliability of those instruments; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Since digital tachographs became mandatory, from 1 May 2006, the Department for Transport and its agencies have received a number of queries about their introduction, most of which have been of a largely technical nature. There have been no reported problems about the reliability of the digital tachograph vehicle unit itself, although around 2 per cent. of the 304,784 tachograph smart cards issued as of 29 May 2007 by DVLA (the UK's card issuing authority) have had to be returned due to malfunctions.

M42: Lorries

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) lessons have been learned and  (b) conclusions have been reached on the trial ban on heavy goods vehicles overtaking on the M42; whether he is considering introducing such a ban on parts of the M18; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The 18-month experimental period of the trial preventing heavy goods vehicles from overtaking on part of the M42 in Warwickshire expires in October this year. The Highways Agency has not yet completed an overall assessment of the results although initial indications are that there have been no disbenefits to heavy goods vehicles and some benefits to light vehicles. Further trials have begun at suitable locations on the A1 in Durham and the A14 in Northamptonshire. There are no current plans to introduce a similar restriction on the M18.

Motorcycles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has had from motorcycle racing and motorcycle sports organisations on the Off Road Vehicles (Registration) Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: This Department has received representations from motorcycle racing and motorcycle sports organisations on the Off Road Vehicles (Registration) Bill expressing reservations at the scope of the Bill.

Roads: Accidents

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse has been of  (a) fatal road traffic accidents,  (b) serious road traffic accidents and  (c) minor road traffic accidents in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The values used to estimate the benefits of the prevention of road accidents are set out in the Highways Economic Note No. 1: 2005 Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties which can be found on the DfT website at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/ea/.
	Included within these values are the costs to public funds for medical, ambulance and police costs (emergency services). The estimated totals of such costs in each year since 1997 in Great Britain are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Estimated cost of emergency services 
			   million 
			   Fatal accidents  Serious accidents  Slight accidents 
			 2005 21 334 202 
			 2004 21 349 201 
			 2003 25 356 198 
			 2002 25 366 198 
			 2001 24 356 188 
			 2000 14 360 190 
			 1999 19 346 178 
			 1998 24 346 167 
			 1997 24 346 167 
		
	
	The values reported in the Highways Economic Note No. 1: 2005 Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties also cover a wide range of other costs incurred following accidents. These include the human costs of pain, grief and suffering, insurance and administrative costs, damage to property and lost output. Some element of these costs must be borne by the public sector, but reliable estimates as to the size of this burden are not available.

Roads: Accidents

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average cost to the public purse of each  (a) fatal road traffic accident,  (b) serious road traffic accident and  (c) minor road traffic accident was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The values used to estimate the benefits of the prevention of road accidents are set out in the Highways Economic Note No. 1: 2005 Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties which can be found on the DfT website at http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/ea/. Included within these values are the costs to public funds for medical, ambulance and police costs (emergency services). The average medical, ambulance, and police costs assumed in the Highways Economic Note No.1 for 2005 are as follows:
	For a fatal accident: 7,110
	For a serious accident: 13,360
	For a slight accident: 1,180
	(2005 prices)
	The values reported in the Highways Economic Note No. 1: 2005 Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties also cover a wide range of other costs incurred following accidents. These include the human costs of pain, grief and suffering, insurance and administrative costs, damage to property and lost output. Some element of these costs must be borne by the public sector, but reliable estimates as to the size of this burden are not available.

Roads: Litter

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent in the last 12 months in each Highways Agency area by them on litter collection; what further action he plans to take to reduce rubbish being dumped on the public highway; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a duty on the Highways Agency to remove litter from motorways in England. Responsibility for removing litter from the all purpose trunk road network, with the exception of DBFO managed roads, lies with local authorities.
	Litter collection on motorways is one of the numerous duties carried out as part of the Highways Agency's routine maintenance function, and costs for individual activities are not recorded separately. It is therefore not possible to provide costs for litter collection.
	Responsibility for enforcing the law against leaving litter, as defined in section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, lies with local authorities and the police.

Roads: Litter

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has issued to Highways Agency staff on the reporting and prosecution of those witnessed depositing rubbish or litter on the highway; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Specific guidance has not been issued to Highways Agency staff on the reporting and prosecution of those witnessed depositing rubbish. Prosecution is a matter for the police authorities.
	Highways Agency traffic officers have a general instruction to report acts of a criminal nature, including littering, to their control office. These reports are passed to the police for possible prosecution.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate what average reduction in speed results from the use of  (a) a visible police patrol and  (b) SPECS cameras.

Stephen Ladyman: This specific information is not available. TRL Report 637, How Methods and Levels of Policing Affect Road Casualty Rates, prepared for Transport for London in 2005, reviewed the findings from literature around the world. They concluded that speed cameras had proved to be particularly effective enforcement tools and appear to be more effective than physical policing methods in reducing mean speeds and accidents. However, the report did not specifically look at time over distance cameras. It also highlighted that physical policing methods have still been found to be effective and the effects of speed cameras appear to be mainly limited to the camera site.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the number of film speed cameras which will be converted to digital in each of the next five years.

Stephen Ladyman: It is not possible to estimate this. Safety cameras are managed locally by road safety partnerships as part of their wider road safety remit and, in accordance with DfT Circular 01/2007, highway authorities and police forces have the freedom to deploy type-approved cameras without Government approval.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of speeding infringements which were detected by  (a) fixed speed cameras,  (b) mobile speed cameras,  (c) SPECS cameras and  (d) police enforcement in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is not held in the form requested. The total number of speeding offences recorded in 'Home Office Motoring Offences and Breath Test Statistics for England and Wales 2004' was 2,104,800. Safety cameras provided evidence in 1,913,700, or 91 per cent. of these cases.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) fixed speed cameras,  (b) mobile speed cameras,  (c) SPECS speed cameras and  (d) police enforcement teams were in operation in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department only holds information about the number of safety camera sites operating within the national safety camera programme for England and Wales over the period 2000-06. The following table, which is published on the Department's website, shows the number of camera sites in place by type during the lifetime of the national programme:
	
		
			  Camera type  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 ( 1) 2006 
			 Fixed 1,295 1,479 1,733 2,036 2,303 2,469 2,544 
			 Mobile 173 281 1,002 1,739 1,981 2,279 2,373 
			 Red-light 464 483 505 539 556 600 | 600 
			 RL-Speed 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 
			 Route 0 0 1 4 6 6 27 
			 Time over distance 1 2 10 10 14 14 15 
			 Total 1,935 2,247 3,253 4,330 4,863 5,371 5,562 
			 (1 )the number of camera sites in the national programme as at 30 March 2007. 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent traffic police officers in England and Wales over the period 1998-99 to 2005-06 for which information is available:
	
		
			   Number of officers( 1) 
			 1998-99 7,525 
			 1999-2000 7,238 
			 2000-01 7,005 
			 2002-03 6,902 
			 2003-04 6,706 
			 2004-05 7,104 
			 2005-06 6,511 
			 (1) complete information not available for 2001-02

Speed Limits: Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average  (a) capital cost and  (b) annual running costs were of (i) fixed speed cameras and (ii) vehicle activated speed indicating devices in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department does not hold this information. The implementation cost of these measures will vary depending on the location and nature of individual sites. The annual operating costs would also reflect that the two measures are used in different circumstances with cameras used to enforce speed limits and reduce excessive speeds, and vehicle activated signs to warn drivers of inappropriate speed on the approach to isolated hazards.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the reduction in accidents resulting from the installation of  (a) fixed speed cameras and  (b) vehicle activated speed indicating devices in each of the five years following installation.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is not held in the form requested. The four-year independent evaluation report of the National Safety Camera Programme, published in December 2005 and covering the period 2000 to 2004, found that there had been a 49 per cent. reduction in killed and seriously injured accidents and a 23 per cent. reduction in personal injury collisions at all fixed camera sites. More specifically there had been reductions of 62 per cent. and 33 per cent. respectively at rural fixed speed camera sites. Transport Research Laboratory Report 548 Vehicle-activated signsa large scale evaluation, published in 2002, found there was a 58 per cent. reduction in personal injury accidents across rural sites where vehicle activated speed limit roundel indication signs were used.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicle activated speed indicating devices were in operation in each of the last five years; and how many he expects to be in operation in each of the next five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department does not keep a record of how many vehicle activated signs are in operation. The decision on when and where to place vehicle activated signs is a matter for local traffic authorities as they are best placed to understand local needs and conditions.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the average reduction in speed which results from the installation of  (a) a fixed speed camera and  (b) a vehicle activated speed indicating device in each of the five years following installation.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is not held in the form requested. The four-year independent evaluation report of the National Safety Camera Programme, published in December 2005 and covering the period 2000 to 2004, found that there had been an average 5.3mph reduction in average speed at all fixed camera sites and rural fixed camera sites. Transport Research Laboratory Report 548 'Vehicle-activated signsa large scale evaluation', published in 2002, found there was an average reduction of 3-9mph across rural sites where vehicle activated speed limit roundel indication signs were used.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which criteria are used when deciding whether fixed speed cameras should be installed.

Stephen Ladyman: On 31 January the Department issued new guidance on the deployment of speed and red light cameras (DfT Circular 01/2007). The guidance was placed in the Library of the House and is also available on the Department's website. This came into effect on 1 April 2007 and provides greater freedom and flexibility on the deployment of cameras in response to community concerns about speeding or at locations where there are speeding problems and a high risk that casualties will occur. The guidance highlights how the previous site selection criteria under the national safety camera programme was shown to reduce speeds and casualties at camera sites. However in view of the local needs and accountability, the guidance is not prescriptive on criteria or intervention levels and recommends that locally agreed deployment criteria are developed.

Thames Gateway Bridge

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to decide on the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge; what progress he has made towards determining a tolling regime; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The decision on planning consent, including the toll order, for the Thames Gateway Bridge will be taken by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Transport and for Communities and Local Government in due course.

Travel

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many passenger miles were undertaken by  (a) car,  (b) rail and  (c) bus in (i) 1977, (ii) 1987 and (iii) in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many tonne miles of freight were moved by  (a) rail and  (b) road in (i) 1985, (ii) 1995 and (iii) in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: Annual statistics on passenger transport distances travelled by mode are published in Table 1.1 of Transport Statistics Great Britain: 2006.
	Annual statistics on domestic goods moved by mode are published in Table 4.1 of the same publication.
	Printed copies of the publication are available in the House Library. It is also available on the Department for Transport's website at the following link:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/tsgb/

Vehicles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of the projected growth in vehicle use up to 2025 which is attributable to population growth.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department does not estimate the proportion of projected growth attributed to population alone. Estimates of the combined impact of growing population and employment on vehicle use have been published in the supporting papers to the Eddington study at:
	http://www.dft.qov.uk/about/strategy/eddingtonstudy/researchannexes/researchannexesvolume3/transportdemand (page 26).
	The combined impact of population and employment change account for 21 per cent. of projected traffic growth over the period 2003 to 2025.

Vehicles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many foreign registered vehicles left England in each year since 1997, broken down by category of vehicle.

Stephen Ladyman: The following table provides estimates of foreign registered lorries leaving the UK, and of vehicles used by foreign residents leaving the UK.
	
		
			  Passenger vehicles driven by foreign residents and foreign registered lorries leaving the UK (million)( 1,2) 
			   Cars and motorcycles  Coaches  Lorries 
			 1997 1.1 0.1 0.6 
			 1998 1.0 0.1 0.7 
			 1999 1.1 (3) 0.9 
			 2000 0.8 (3) 1.0 
			 2001 0.7 (3) 1.2 
			 2002 0.9 (3) 1.3 
			 2003 0.8 (3) 1.3 
			 2004 0.8 0.1 1.5 
			 2005 0.9 0.1 1.5 
			 2006 0.9 0.1 1.5 
			 (1) Cars, motorcycles and coaches estimated based on the number of foreign residents leaving the UK together with average vehicle occupancy rates. (2) Includes channel tunnel but excludes movements across the Irish land boundary. (3) Denotes less than half final digit shown (coaches estimated at approximately 50,000 per year).  Source: International Passenger Survey (ONS) and Survey of Road Goods Vehicles (DfT).

Vehicles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many UK registered vehicles there were in each year since 1997, broken down by category of vehicle.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is in the following tables:
	
		
			  Motor vehicles currently licensed, by taxation group, 1997-2005 
			  Private and light goods 
			   Body type cars  Other vehicles  Motor cycles scooters and mopeds  Buses  Goods 
			 1997 21,681,000 2,317,000 626,000 79,000 414,000 
			 1998 22,114,732 2,361,952 683,923 80,131 412,431 
			 1999 22,784,568 2,427,277 759,592 83,661 414,553 
			 2000 23,196,112 2,469,445 825,197 86,333 417,520 
			 2001 23,898,844 2,543,761 881,656 88,562 422,043 
			 2002 24,543,396 2,621,818 941,033 92,318 425,203 
			 2003 24,984,664 2,730,099 1,004,718 96,117 425,928 
			 2004 25,753,802 2,900,419 1,059,879 99,866 434,101 
			 2005 26,207,656 3,018,555 1,075,045 103,033 432,929 
		
	
	
		
			   Special machines/ special concession  Other vehicles  Crown and exempt  Special vehicles group  All vehicles 
			 1997 249,000 38,000 1,522,000 48,000 26,974,000 
			 1998 243,114 36,569 1,558,127 47,356 27,538,412 
			 1999 241,264 36,288 1,573,309 46,993 28,367,560 
			 2000 232,562 34,441 1,590,238 45,687 28,897,580 
			 2001 232,538 33,079 1,601,602 45,044 29,747,130 
			 2002 243,266 32,275 1,854,573 46,057 30,556,672 
			 2003 257,626 31,913 1,886,735 47,185 31,207,360 
			 2004 275,397 31,661 1,929,263 49,864 32,258,854 
			 2005 282,960 30,836 1,978,219 51,109 32,897,384 
			  Note:  Figures for 2006 are not yet available.

Vehicles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has had from rural and farming organisations on the Off Road Vehicles (Registration) Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: This Department has received representations from rural and farming organisations on the Off Road Vehicles (Registration) Bill; expressing reservations at the scope of the Bill.

Vehicles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the number of additional vehicles which would be included in the provisions of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 should the Off Road Vehicles (Registration) Bill become law unamended, broken down by vehicle.

Stephen Ladyman: This Department estimates that up to three million additional vehicles could be included under the provisions of an amended Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 should the Off Road Vehicles (Registration) Bill become law. It is estimated that this figure could increase by approximately 500,000 new vehicles per annum.
	These estimates have not been broken down by vehicle.

Vehicles: Taxation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many owners of cars in the Peterborough city council area are liable to pay the new band G tax.

Stephen Ladyman: As at 31 December 2006 240 vehicles registered to addresses in Peterborough were licensed in the new band G. In addition there were 2,496 vehicles which, although licensed in band F, would fall into the band G emission category.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adoption: Europe

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what legal advice the Government have received on the recognition of adoptions in Europe.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 22 May 2007
	A review all of the legal advice received by the Government relating to the recognition of adoptions in Europe could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Autism: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many autistic students are enrolled in schools in  (a) Greater London,  (b) the London borough of Havering and  (c) Romford.

Jim Knight: Information on pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and their primary need is collected via the school census for pupils at school action plus and those with statements of SEN. The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained nursery, primary, secondary and all special schools, city technology colleges and academies( 1,2) : number and percentage of pupils whose primary need is autistic spectrum disorder( 3,4 ) as at January 2006 
			   Pupils at School Action Plus or with statements of SEN whose primary need  is autistic spectrum disorder 
			   Maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools  City technology colleges and academies  Special schools  Total 
			   Number  %  Number  %  Number  %  Number  % 
			 England(5) 28,170 5.3 100 3.1 11,260 12.7 39,520 6.4 
			 London Government Office Region(5) 4,210 5.0 60 3.3 1,800 15.6 6,060 6.2 
			 Havering local authority area 96 4.9 n/a n/a 70 26.3 166 7.5 
			 Romford parliamentary constituency 24 4.3 n/a n/a n/a n/a 24 4.3 
			 n/a = Not applicable, no schools of this type.  (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools.  (3 )Excludes dually registered pupils.  (4) Information on type of need was collected from those pupils at School Action Plus and with statements of SEN.  (5) National and regional figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  School Census

Connexions

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of interventions by the Connexions service involved face-to-face contact in the latest period for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: Between April 2006 and March 2007 the Connexions Service had over 5 million interventions with young people of which 62 per cent. were conducted face-to-face.
	
		
			   Number  Percentage 
			  2006-07   
			 One-to-one personal contact with 13-19 age group 3,214,844 62 
			 Total interventions with 13-19 age group 5,222,982

Curriculum: Physical Education

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the national curriculum requirement is for the provision of physical education in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools.

Jim Knight: Physical education (PE) is a compulsory part of the national curriculum for all pupils aged 5-16. Within national curriculum PE, programmes of study have been drawn up for six different activity areas: athletic activities; dance activities; games activities; gymnastic activities; outdoor and adventurous activities; and swimming activities. During each key stage, pupils should be taught the programmes of study for the following activity areas:
	Key stage 1dance activities; games activities; and gymnastic activities.
	Key stage 2dance activities; games activities; gymnastic activities; and two activity areas from: athletic activities; outdoor and adventurous activities; and swimming activities. Swimming activities must be chosen unless pupils have completed the full key stage 2 swimming requirements during key stage 1.
	Key stage 3games activities; and three of the following (at least one of which must be dance or gymnastics): athletic activities; dance activities; gymnastic activities; outdoor and adventurous activities; and swimming activities.
	Key stage 4any two of the six activity areas.
	When delivering these compulsory requirements, teachers should ensure that pupils make progress in the following key aspects of PE: acquiring and developing skills; selecting and applying skills tactics and compositional ideas; evaluating and improving performance; and knowledge and understanding of fitness and health.

Departments: Delivery Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which projects in his Department the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit has assessed in the last 12 months.

Parmjit Dhanda: In the last 12 months, the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit (PMDU) has carried out joint reviews with the Department of: primary and secondary school standards, teenage pregnancy, pupil attendance, pupil behaviour, Targeted Youth Support, implementation of the Schools White Paper, Building Schools for the Future, 14-19 local delivery policy, Childhood Obesity and the Department's Capability Review.

Education: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much capital expenditure there was in the education sector in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The following table shows how much capital funding has been allocated to the education sector in East Sussex LA since 1997. As our capital funding is made available through local authorities (LAs) we are unable to provide figures for Eastbourne, which comes under East Sussex LA.
	
		
			  Table 1: Capital Expenditure Allocated to East Sussex LA 
			   million 
			   Schools Capital( 1)  Sure Start Local Programme (SSLP)  General Sure Start Grant (GSSG) 
			 1996-97 20.1 0 0 
			 1997-98 16.5 0 0 
			 1998-99 15.1 0 0 
			 1999-2000 30.3 0.47 0 
			 2000-01 18.1 0.80 0 
			 2001-02 16.1 0.58 0 
			 2002-03 23.9 0.06 0.18 
			 2003-04 24.4 0.43 0.07 
			 2004-05 23.7 1.39 0.04 
			 2005-06 17.7 (2)0.59 2.22 
			 2006-07 20.6 (3)0 4.53 
			 (1) Schools Capital allocations are a mixture of grant and supported borrowing.  (2 )The 2005-06 SSLP figure is not final as we have yet to receive the audit reports for all of the programmeswe would not expect any significant change however.  (3) There is no SSLP expenditure in 2006-07 as all SSLP capital programmes finished in 2005-06. 
		
	
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) also make capital allocations to local authorities but are unable to provide details below the level of Sussex LSC. The Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) do not provide any capital funding to local authorities.

Education: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils completed Learning and Skills Council-funded programmes in London in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: Figures for those completing Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funded programmes are published in terms of success rates. National success rates are published in the Statistical First Release Further Education and work-based learning for young peoplelearner outcomes in England which is published each year and is available from the LSC website at http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/Data/statistics/sfr/.
	Success rates are not available at a regional level, but success rates for individual further education colleges in London are published on the LSC website at http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/Data/statistics/success/FEinstlevel.htm.

Education: Body Image

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect of an individual's body image on their academic achievement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills has not made a specific assessment of the effect of an individual's body image on their academic achievement.
	Body image, whether negative or positive, may be one of a number of factors that affects an individual's self esteem, and research shows that self esteem and self confidence impact on attainment.
	Families, early years settings and schools can play an important role in helping young people develop confidence, self-esteem and positive emotional health. Helping children acquire good emotional health and well-being is a significant element of current Government policy, including the Personal, Social and Health Education curriculum, the National Healthy Schools Programme, the Improving Behaviour and Attendance Programme, and the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning curriculum materials.
	A distorted body image is particularly prevalent among those with eating disorders. The 2001 DFES guidance, Promoting Children's Mental Health within Early Years and Schools Settings includes a section on eating disorders and the general principles that schools should follow in working with young people who experience eating disorders.

ESOL

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the effect on  (a) pupil attendance and  (b) availability of places of changes to the English for Speakers of Other Languages programme's funding.

Bill Rammell: The funding changes being made to English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) from August 2007 are not expected to result in significant changes to the availability of ESOL places.
	The overall funding will remain broadly comparable to this year and will be re-prioritised towards those people in the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, including those who are out of work through lack of skills and settled immigrant communities facing challenges to integration.

Level 2 Attainment

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of people aged 19 achieved level 2 by  (a) the age of 16 including English and mathematics and  (b) by the age of 19 including English and mathematics in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: We do not currently have information on level 2 attainment by age 19 including English and Maths.
	The proportion of pupils achieving 5+ GCSEs at grades A*-C including English and maths by the age of 16 are given in table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: proportion of pupils aged 15( 1)  achieving 5+ A*-C including English and maths 
			   Percentage of pupils aged 15 achieving 5+ A*-C inc. English and maths 
			 1997 35.6 
			 1998 37.0 
			 1999 38.6 
			 2000 40.0 
			 2001 40.7 
			 2002 42.1 
			 2003 41.9 
			 2004 42.6 
			 2005 44.3 
			 2006 45.3 
			 (1) Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year (i.e. 31 August). 
		
	
	The proportion of young people qualified to level 2 by age and cohort is given in table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: proportion of young people qualified to level 2 or higher, by age and cohort 
			   Percentage  
			   Attained level 2+ by age:  
			  Cohort  16( 1)  17  18  19  20  21  Population( 2) 
			 19 in 2004 49.2 56.1 62.0 66.3 69.1 71.1 614,560 
			 19 in 2005 50.3 58.5 64.9 69.3 72.0 n/a 618,400 
			 19 in 2006 52.2 60.1 67.1 71.4 n/a n/a 631,890 
			 19 in 2007 53.0 62.2 70.4 n/a n/a n/a 652,180 
			 19 in 2008 55.5 64.9 n/a n/a n/a n/a 645,400 
			 19 in 2009 57.2 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 656,210 
			 n/a = Data not available. (1) Estimates at age 16 differ from other published figures on the attainment of pupils aged 15 in schools and colleges because different denominators are used and matching means the numerators are not quite the same. (2) The population is the size of the cohort at academic age 14, taken from the Annual Schools Census count for the relevant year. For example, the 19 in 2006 population (people aged 18 on 31 August 2005) is the number of pupils aged 14 on 31 August 2001.

Free School Meals

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children attending  (a) denominational and  (b) maintained schools in each local education authority in England were entitled to receive free school dinners in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2005-06.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

GCSE: Standards

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the local education authorities in England in order of proportion of students attaining five A to C grades GCSEs on average by its schools in  (a) 1990,  (b) 1995,  (c) 2000 and  (d) 2006.

Jim Knight: The information for 1994/95, 1999/2000 and 2005/06 has been placed in the Library. Information for 1989/90 is in Table C17 of Statistics of Education School Examinations GCSE and GCE 1990, which is also available in the Library. Since this information is only available within a hard copy publication, the local authorities are not ranked in order of the proportion of pupils achieving 5 A to C grades at GCSE.

Grammar Schools

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which organisation was used by his Department to assess the appropriateness of the electoral arrangements for deciding on the continuance of grammar schools; and how much that organisation was paid for its services.

Jim Knight: holding answer 22 May 2007
	Pauline Hughes Consultancy was commissioned to do this work. The remit was wider than assessing the appropriateness of the electoral arrangements and it is not possible to separate out the costs on that specific aspect of the work. The total cost of the work was 2,732.40.

Higher Education: Yorkshire and Humberside

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students from  (a) Yorkshire and Humberside,  (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire and  (c) nationally were allocated a university place in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The numbers of undergraduate entrants to UK higher education institutions for each year since 1997/98 are given in the table. Figures for the 2006/07 academic year will be available in January 2008.
	
		
			  Number of entrants to undergraduate courses( 1)  from East Riding of Yorkshire local authority, Yorkshire and the Humber Government office region and England, UK higher education institutions( 2) :( : ) academic years 1997/98 to 2005/06 
			  Academic year  East Riding of Yorkshire local authority  Yorkshire  Humberside Government office region  England 
			 1997/98 2,685 32,310 377,855 
			 1998/99 2,785 37,215 402,240 
			 1999/2000 2,765 36,715 401,345 
			 2000/01 2,925 36,965 398,700 
			 2001/02 3,215 38,595 423,965 
			 2002/03 3,110 39,685 440,520 
			 2003/04 2,920 39,755 446,045 
			 2004/05 3,130 40,050 446,695 
			 2005/06 3,240 43,485 462,950 
			 (1) Covers students on full-time and part-time modes of study. (2) Excludes the Open University.  Note:  Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December for comparability and are rounded to the nearest 5.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Higher Education: Finance

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much per capita funding was provided by his Department for  (a) higher national diplomas and  (b) foundation degrees in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 18 May 2007
	We can provide information on the rate of estimated average grant per full-time equivalent for the periods 2002-03 to 2006-07. The following table contains full-time equivalent cash figures calculated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Figures include an allowance for widening participation.
	
		
			  Estimated HEFCE grant per FTE, to nearest 100 
			   
			   Foundation degree  Higher national diploma 
			 2002-03 3,600 3,300 
			 2003-04 3,700 3,300 
			 2004-05 4,100 3,700 
			 2005-06 4,300 3,900 
			 2006-07 4,500 4,000 
		
	
	Funds for rewarding and developing staff were consolidated into institutions' teaching grants for 2004-05 (having previously been separate). This therefore contributes to the large increase seen in estimated rates of grant for FDs and HNDs between 2003-04 and 2004-05.

Information Sharing Index

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the expenditure by his Department was on funding the supplement in  The Guardian newspaper on the Information Sharing Index; and what editorial control his Department maintained over the publication.

Beverley Hughes: The expenditure by the Department on funding the supplement in  The Guardian is as follows:
	
		
			 Guardian supplement x2 Society/Education Every Child Matters 120,000 October 2006 
		
	
	Two eight-page supplements on Every Child Matters (ECM) of which Contact Point (formally known by the working title of Information Sharing Index) were produced in association with Guardian Newspapers. The objective was to secure a wider and deeper understanding of, and support for, the Every Child Matters agenda.
	The core of editorial content reflected the general scope of the Every Child Matters agenda, with case studies to illustrate how it is being employed across the country. The remainder reflected the particular editorial environment with more specific advice, inspiration and information about the application of Every Child Matters.
	 The Guardian submitted an editorial synopsis outlining what was to be covered by each supplement and passed this to those responsible for sign-off for fact checking, and to check for consistency against the editorial synopsis.  The Guardian retained editorial control of the supplement to ensure that the integrity of the editorial was preserved.

Land: Expenditure

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent by  (a) local authorities and  (b) the Government on the purchase of land for educational use in (i) outer and (ii) inner London boroughs in the last 12 months; and what average price was paid per hectare in each case.

Jim Knight: The Department does not maintain records centrally on purchases of land by local authorities for educational use. It is not Government policy to purchase land directly for educational use. Purchases are made at local authority level, or by the institution which owns the educational facility.

Mediation: Pilot Schemes

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will take steps to increase the number of family law mediation schemes in England and Wales.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government believe that mediation can have considerable advantages over going to court in the settling of family disputes, especially where children are involved. There are already around 10 in-court referral schemes, where family mediators work together with CAFCASS and the courts to refer appropriate cases for mediation. We are also planning 10 judicial awareness seminars across England and Wales aimed at raising awareness among judges and magistrates. The Family Mediation Helpline began operating in January 2006. To date, it has received 2,800 calls and made over 800 referrals to mediation services; around 10,000 visits have been made to the supporting website.
	Legal Services Commission figures tell us that publicly funded mediations have increased from 406 in 1997-98 to 14,000 in 2005-06; public funding for mediation has increased from 0.5 million in 1997-98 to 13.8 million in 2005-06. Mediation results in a resolution of all the issues involved in 60 per cent. of publicly funded cases where it is used.

Missing Children

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children went missing from social services care in each of the last 10 years; how many went missing for over one month; and how many of those children he estimates may have been trafficked.

Parmjit Dhanda: The number of looked after children who went missing from care in 1997, the last five years and the number who went missing for over one month in 2006 is shown in the following table. Information on the number of children who went missing and who may have been trafficked is not collected by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
	
		
			  Children looked after who were reported missing in the years ending 31 March 1997 and 2002 to 2006( 1,2,3,4,5,6) 
			  Numbers 
			  England  1997( 1,5)  2002( 2,6)  2003( 2,6)  2004( 1,6)  2005( 1,6)  2006( 1,6) 
			 Children missing from placement during the year 570 1,000 1,200 830 970 970 
			 Children missing for more than 30 days  370 
			 (1) Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return which in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 covered all looked after children. (2 )Figures are taken from the SSDA903 one-third sample survey. (3 )Historical figures may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (4 )To maintain the confidentiality of each individual child, data at national level are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 or to the nearest 10 otherwise. (5 )In 1997, a child is recorded with a missing placement if he/she is absent for more than seven days from his/her agreed placement. (6 )In 2002 to 2006 a child is recorded with a missing placement if he/she is absent for more than 24 hours from his/her agreed placement.

Ofsted

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1395-96W, on Ofsted, what the name was of each consultant employed; what role each consultant played; and what individual payments each consultant received.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 24 May 2007:
	Your recent Parliamentary Question has been passed to me as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply. I am sorry for the delay in my response. The information requested is held by a number of teams within Ofsted and it has taken us some time to collate the information.
	You asked, following our response of 27th March 2007, Official Report columns 1395-6W, on Ofsted, the name of each consultant employed; the role each consultant played; and the individual payments each consultant received.
	Our legal advice indicates it would not be appropriate to provide details of the names, fees paid and specific roles relating to individual consultants or companies only employing one consultant as we would be revealing personal data, and so information relating to individuals (which totals about 105,000) has been excluded from the information included at Annex A.
	It would also be contrary to Ofsted's commercial interests and our general contractual relations to release contractual details such as company names and fee rates, and we have therefore presented information on the amount Ofsted has spent on consultancy with suppliers, by groups, in anonymous format in the table attached at Annex A. The amount Ofsted has spent is inclusive of VAT.
	The broad roles fulfilled by the consultants are outlined below:
	Project management and technical consultancy for new information systems development (Suppliers shown in Group A);
	Project management and technical support for Human Resources, Health and Safety and operational management (Suppliers shown in Group B);
	Technical support for an on-line self evaluation system for schools (Suppliers shown in Group C);
	Property management for disposal of surplus property (Suppliers shown in Group D);
	Project management and other technical support for the development for the new Ofsted web site (Suppliers shown in Group E);
	Project management and technical consultancy to update our people management and finance systems (Suppliers shown in Group F).
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Annex A 
			  Supplier number  Group  Amount spent()  Sub total ()  Total () 
			 1 A 46,013   
			 2 A 25,000   
			 3 A 55,000   
			 4 A 5,941   
			 5 A 77,093   
			 6 A 36,861   
			 7 A 283,507   
			 8 A 22,995   
			 9 A 20,642   
			 10 A 238,398   
			 11 A 2,820   
			 12 A 4,512   
			 13 A 94   
			 14 A 16,744   
			 15 A 31,666   
			 16 A 4,700   
			 17 A 48,089   
			 18 A 1,645   
			 19 A 420,984   
			 20 A 4,573   
			 21 A 12,440 1,359,717  
			 26 B 1,281   
			 30 B 5,462   
			 31 B 58,309   
			 32 B 71,193 136,245  
			 33 C 12,330   
			 34 C 15,999   
			 35 C 97,416 125,745  
			 36 D 153   
			 37 D 105,129 105,282  
			 38 E 2,350   
			 39 E 71,411   
			 40 E 527,661 601,422  
			 41 F 93,951   
			 42 F 21,284 115,235  
			 2,443,646

Physical Education

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2007,  Official Report, column 363W, on physical education what measures have been put in place to ensure the accuracy of the data provided by schools as part of the annual school sport surveys;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2007,  Official Report, column 363W, on physical education, how the validation exercise carried out by TNS is conducted; and what procedures are used;
	(3)  how many and what percentage of schools have been awarded the Sports Partnership Mark scheme by the Youth Sport Trust; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many and what percentage of schools have been awarded the Sportsmark scheme by the Youth Sport Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Activemark, Sportsmark and Sport Partnership Mark are awarded annually in recognition of outstanding delivery of the national PE, School Sport and Club Links strategy. The awards are open to schools and school sport partnerships, which are automatically assessed for them through the annual national school sport survey.
	For the Sportsmark award, 16 per cent. (530) of the secondary schools taking part in the survey met the required standard and were given the award for 2006.
	For the Sport Partnership Mark award, 10 partnerships (around 2.5 per cent.) met the required standard and were given the award for 2006.
	A validation exercise is undertaken by a team of independent researchers to verify the accuracy of the survey returns. In 2005/06, the validation exercise involved visits to 10 per cent. of partnerships, selected at random. The independent researchers concluded that the majority of schools kept auditable records of the figures which they submitted, and did not uncover any systematic misreporting of data.
	I have placed copies of the results of the 2005/06 School Sport Survey in the libraries of both Houses. Results from the 2006/07 School Sport Survey are expected in the autumn.

Pupil Exclusions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of current pupils have received  (a) a fixed period exclusion more than once and  (b) a permanent exclusion, broken down by (i) pupils receiving and not receiving free school meals, (ii) gender and (iii) ethnicity.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the tables.
	Information relating to free school meal eligibility is not collected for permanently excluded pupils.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, secondary and special schools( 1) : Pupils excluded for a fixed period more than once by free school meal eligibility, gender and ethnic group 
			   Pupils with two or more fixed period exclusions 
			   Number  Percentage( 2) 
			  School meal arrangements( 3)   
			 Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 29,010 2.5 
			 Other pupils 51,140 0.9 
			 Total(4) 82,040 1.2 
			
			  Gender   
			 Boys 63,020 1.8 
			 Girls 19,020 0.6 
			 Total 82,040 1.2 
			
			  Ethnic Group( 5) :   
			  White 67,250 1.3 
			 White British 65,630 1.3 
			 Irish 280 1.3 
			 Traveller of Irish heritage 130 3.3 
			 Gypsy/Roma 240 3.6 
			 Any other White background 970 0.8 
			  Mixed 3,120 1.8 
			 White and Black Caribbean 1,680 2.7 
			 White and Black African 280 1.6 
			 White and Asian 280 0.8 
			 Any other Mixed background 890 1.5 
			  Asian 2,100 0.5 
			 Indian 380 0.3 
			 Pakistani 1,160 0.7 
			 Bangladeshi 360 0.5 
			 Any other Asian background 190 0.4 
			  Black 4,020 1.7 
			 Black Caribbean 2,130 2.5 
			 Black African 1,240 1.0 
			 Any other Black background 650 2.6 
			  Chinese 30 0.1 
			
			  Any other ethnic group 380 0.7 
			
			  Unclassified( 6) 4,930 n/a 
			
			  All pupils( 3) 81,820 1.3 
			 n/a = Not applicable.  (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. Excludes non-maintained special schools.  (2) Number of fixed period exclusions expressed as a percentage of the total school population of same gender, free school meal eligibility or ethnic group.  (3) Information of pupils' ethnicity and free school meal eligibility was not collected in the Termly Exclusions Survey. The ethnic and free school meal breakdown for fixed period exclusions given here was established by linking the dataset with the 2005 School Census database. No link was available for just over 2 per cent. of records.  (4) Total includes 1,892 pupils for whom free school meal eligibility was unclassified.  (5 )Pupils of compulsory school age and above have been classified according to their ethnic group.  (6 )Includes those pupils for whom information on their ethnic group was not sought, refused or is missing.   Note:  Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown.   Source: Termly Exclusions Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Maintained primary, secondary and all special schools( 1) : Number of permanent exclusions by gender and ethnic group 2004-05 estimates( 2) , England 
			   Permanent exclusions 
			   Number  Percentage( 3) 
			  Gender   
			 Boys 7,490 0.19 
			 Girls 1,940 0.05 
			 Total 9,440 0.12 
			
			  Ethnic Group( 4:)   
			  White 7,470 0.13 
			 White British 7,220 0.13 
			 Irish 50 0.21 
			 Traveller of Irish heritage 30 0.78 
			 Gypsy/Roma 30 0.39 
			 Any other White background 140 0.09 
			  Mixed 500 0.26 
			 White and Black Caribbean 280 0.41 
			 White and Black African 50 0.24 
			 White and Asian 30 0.09 
			 Any other mixed background 140 0.21 
			  Asian 290 0.06 
			 Indian 70 0.04 
			 Pakistani 160 0.08 
			 Bangladeshi 50 0.06 
			 Any other Asian background 20 0.04 
			  Black 670 0.26 
			 Black Caribbean 380 0.39 
			 Black African 190 0.14 
			 Any other Black background 100 0.36 
			  Chinese 10 0.02 
			
			  Any other ethnic group 60 0.10 
			
			  Unclassified( 5) 380 n/a 
			
			  All pupils( 4) 9,380 0.14 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. Includes non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools.  (2) Figures relating to permanent exclusions are estimates based on incomplete pupil level data.  (3 )Number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the total school population of same gender or ethnic group.  (4 )Pupils of compulsory school age and above have been classified according to their ethnic group.  (5) Includes those pupils for whom information on their ethnic group was not sought, refused or is missing.   Note:  Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown.   Source: School Census.

Pupil Exclusions: Maintained Schools

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in how many maintained mainstream schools more than  (a) 10 per cent.,  (b) 15 per cent.,  (c) 20 per cent.,  (d) 25 per cent. and  (e) 30 per cent. of pupils have been excluded.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : Number of schools by proportion of school population excluded for a fixed period, England, 2004-05 
			   Schools reporting one or more fixed period exclusion 
			   Number  Percentage( 2) 
			  Schools where percentage of school population excluded for a fixed period is( 3) :   
			 Up to and including 10.0 per cent. 8,823 42.0 
			 10.1 to 15.0 per cent. 723 3.4 
			 15.1 to 20.0 per cent. 373 1.8 
			 20.1 to 25.0 per cent. 186 0.9 
			 25.1 to 30 per cent. 113 0.5 
			 30.1 per cent. or more 192 0.9 
			
			  Unclassified( 4) 96 0.5 
			  Total 10,506 50.0 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Number of schools in each band expressed as a percentage of the total number of schools as at January 2005.  (3) The number of fixed period exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils on roll as at January 2005 (derived from School Census returns).  (4) School population figure could not be established.   Source:  Termly Exclusions Survey and School Census.

Pupil Referral Units: Special Educational Needs

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of pupils with  (a) moderate learning difficulties,  (b) emotional, behavioural and social difficulties,  (c) multi-sensory impairment,  (d) physical disability,  (e) profound and multiple learning difficulty,  (f) severe learning difficulty,  (g) specific learning difficulty,  (h) visual impairment and  (i) hearing impairment (i) with statements and (ii) without statements were registered in pupil referral units at some point during each year from 1997 to 2006, broken down by local authority.

Jim Knight: The requested information is not collected centrally.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications for authorised absences for holidays during term time were made to  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in England in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The Department has just started to collect information on the reason for pupil absence relating to the autumn 2006 term.
	Findings relating to the full 2006/07 school year are expected to be released via a National Statistics publication in February 2008.

Pupils: Apprentices

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provision the Government make for apprenticeships to give school pupils access to one day or more training every week in a work-type setting.

Phil Hope: Young Apprenticeships give motivated 14 to 16 year-olds the opportunity to pursue industry-specific level 2 vocational qualifications outside of school and in partnership with employers. Learning is a combination of classroom delivery in colleges and direct application in a real working environment, including 50 days work experience. The programme has expanded from the first cohort of 1,000 pupils in 2004-5 to 13,300 on Young Apprenticeships in 2007-8 across a range of sectors.
	The KS4 Engagement Programme provides 14 to 16 year-olds at risk of disengagement from education with up to two days a week work-focused learning delivered through a range of college classrooms and work-simulation environments and through work experience with local employers. This programme began in 2006-7 with 6,000 learners and is expanding to 15,300 in 2007-8.

Pupils: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many admissions appeals were  (a) heard and  (b) successful for pupils in (i) Eastbourne and (ii) East Sussex in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: Data on heard and successful admissions appeals for East Sussex local authority are given in the following table. Data are not available for Eastbourne as they are not collected at this level.
	
		
			  Appeals lodged by parents against non-admission of their children primary schools 
			   Primary schools  Secondary schools 
			   East Sussex  England( 1)  East Sussex  England( 1) 
			   Appeals heard  Appeals decided in parent's favour  Appeals heard  Appeals decided in parent's favour  Appeals heard  Appeals decided in parent's favour  Appeals heard  Appeals decided in parent's favour 
			 1997/98 106 52 20,180 9,560 95 43 32,980 10,720 
			 1998/99 156 63 21,220 9,340 157 54 38,960 12,640 
			 1999/2000 146 37 18,710 7,290 273 104 43,940 14,180 
			 2000/01 101 24 17,510 6,210 225 60 46,370 14,990 
			 2001/02 81 9 16,160 5,510 230 68 49,980 16,220 
			 2002/03 68 14 13,760 4,540 192 50 50,200 16,820 
			 2003/04 91 5 13,180 4,340 227 74 46,480 16,290 
			 2004/05 61 9 13,600 4,700 323 109 45,730 16,340 
			 (1) National totals have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Pupils: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many unauthorised absences were recorded in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Eastbourne and (ii) East Sussex in each year since 1997, broken down by type of institution.

Jim Knight: The percentages of half days missed due to unauthorised absence from maintained mainstream schools in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Eastbourne and (ii) East Sussex in each year since 1997 is shown as follows:
	
		
			  Unauthorised pupil absence (percentage of half days missed) in maintained primary schools( 1) ,( ) 1997/98-2005/06( 2,3) 
			   Eastbourne  East Sussex  England 
			 1997/98 0.5 0.4 0.5 
			 1998/99 0.6 0.4 0.5 
			 1999/2000 0.5 0.4 0.5 
			 2000/01 0.6 0.5 0.5 
			 2001/02 0.6 0.37 0.45 
			 2002/03 0.6 0.41 0.43 
			 2003/04 0.8 0.53 0.41 
			 2004/05 0.8 0.77 0.43 
		
	
	
		
			  Unauthorised pupil absence (percentage of half days missed) in maintained secondary schools( 1) ,  1997/98-2005/06( 2,3) 
			   Eastbourne  East Sussex  England 
			 1997/98 0.8 1.3 1.1 
			 1998/99 0.9 1.1 1.1 
			 1999/2000 1.1 1.2 1.0 
			 2000/01 1.2 1.2 1.1 
			 2001/02 1.2 1.41 1.09 
			 2002/03 2.0 1.35 1.07 
			 2003/04 2.2 1.41 1.13 
			 2004/05 1.7 1.34 1.23 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Due to local government reorganisation, regional figures are not available prior to 1998. (3) Figures for the above local authorities are available to one decimal place prior to 2001/02 and two decimal places from 2001/02 onwards. 
		
	
	To break the information down by type of institution as requested can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average expenditure per head was on children in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) the denominational and (ii) the maintained sectors in each London local authority in (A) 1997 and (B) 2006.

Jim Knight: The following tables provide the aforementioned information in respect of maintained schools with and without a religious character.
	
		
			  School-based expenditure per pupil by local authority maintained primary schools in London, 1997-98 and 2005-06 
			   
			   School-based expenditure per pupil 
			2005-06 
			   1997-98   Of which: 
			  Local authority name  All local authority maintained pre-primary and primary schools  All local authority maintained primary schools  Local authority maintained primary schools with no religious denomination  Local authority maintained primary schools with a specified religious denomination 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,970 3,350 3,360 3,290 
			 Barnet 1,860 3,560 3,760 3,170 
			 Bexley 1,590 3,020 3,050 2,910 
			 Brent 2,030 3,520 3,490 3,560 
			 Bromley 1,720 2,870 2,890 2,760 
			 Camden 2,390 4,420 4,500 4,300 
			 City of London 3,810 5,060 (1) 5,060 
			 Croydon 1,910 3,260 3,310 3,020 
			 Ealing 2,020 3,570 3,650 3,190 
			 Enfield 1,900 3,530 3,640 3,170 
			 Greenwich 2,190 3,780 3,800 3,670 
			 Hackney 2,420 4,520 4,510 4,290 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,520 4,100 4,320 3,600 
			 Haringey 2,360 3,850 3,930 3,590 
			 Harrow 2,140 3,400 3,460 3,010 
			 Havering 1,750 3,160 3,190 3,010 
			 Hillingdon 1,730 3,320 3,360 3,120 
			 Hounslow 2,060 3,440 3,470 3,220 
			 Islington 2,340 4,210 4,330 3,920 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2,650 4,440 4,560 4,300 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1,830 3,250 3,380 3,050 
			 Lambeth 2,810 4,400 4,470 4,240 
			 Lewisham 2,340 4,120 4,090 4,200 
			 Merton 2,060 3,360 3,450 3,110 
			 Newham 1,850 3,970 4,010 3,670 
			 Redbridge 1,810 3,070 3,100 2,960 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1,940 3,220 3,270 3,110 
			 Southwark 2,330 4,400 4,500 4,020 
			 Sutton 1,870 3,110 3,130 3,030 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,600 4,630 4,680 4,450 
			 Waltham Forest 2,110 3,540 3,560 3,440 
			 Wandsworth 2,210 3,910 3,940 3,840 
			 Westminster 2,590 4,000 4,230 3,840 
		
	
	
		
			  School-based expenditure per pupil by local authority maintained secondary schools in London, 1997-98 and 2005-06 
			   
			   Secondary school-based expenditure per pupil 
			2005-06 
			   1997-98   Of which: 
			  Local authority name  All local authority maintained secondary schools  All local authority maintained secondary schools  Local authority maintained secondary schools with no religious denomination  Local authority maintained secondary schools with a specified religious denomination 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,650 4,850 4,880 4,570 
			 Barnet 2,640 4,530 4,570 4,350 
			 Bexley 2,350 4,100 4,050 4,300 
			 Brent 3,850 5,180 5,060 5,530 
			 Bromley 2,570 4,070 4,020 4,590 
			 Camden 3,160 5,650 5,800 5,080 
			 City of London (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Croydon 2,700 4,220 4,250 4,180 
			 Ealing 2,700 4,880 4,900 4,780 
			 Enfield 2,630 4,540 4,580 4,290 
			 Greenwich 2,700 5,230 5,210 4,960 
			 Hackney 3,070 5,980 6,170 5,780 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,400 5,440 6,160 4,770 
			 Haringey 3,170 5,310 5,280 5,550 
			 Harrow 2,860 4,620 4,700 4,160 
			 Havering 2,720 4,470 4,550 4,240 
			 Hillingdon 2,720 4,420 4,410 4,320 
			 Hounslow 2,670 4,700 4,810 4,380 
			 Islington 3,170 5,560 5,670 5,100 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 3,410 5,850 5,860 5,840 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2,480 4,230 4,240 4,200 
			 Lambeth 3,290 5,870 6,110 5,620 
			 Lewisham 3,050 5,480 5,380 5,640 
			 Merton 2,490 4,250 4,360 4,000 
			 Newham 2,820 5,210 5,270 4,850 
			 Redbridge 2,610 4,210 4,260 4,000 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2,550 4,380 4,360 4,660 
			 Southwark 3,040 5,640 5,620 5,680 
			 Sutton 2,540 4,130 4,180 3,900 
			 Tower Hamlets 3,200 6,150 6,250 5,750 
			 Waltham Forest 2,780 4,820 4,820 4,770 
			 Wandsworth 2,640 5,190 5,170 5,310 
			 Westminster 3,050 5,700 5,770 5,630 
			 (1) Figures not available.  Notes: 1. School-based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by the schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure. Central local authority expenditure cannot, in all cases, be attributed to a particular phase of education and consequently is excluded from the table. 2. Pupil numbers are full-time equivalent pupil numbers and are drawn from the DfES annual schools census adjusted to be on a financial year basis. 3. Expenditure was not distinguished between the pre-primary and primary sectors until the inception of section 52 for financial year 1999-2000. Comparable figures for school-based expenditure in local authority maintained nursery schools are not available for 2002-03 onwards and hence direct comparisons of the combined pre-primary and primary unit cost in 1997-98 should not be made with the unit cost for primary only in 2005-06. 4. The religious denomination of a school is drawn from the religious character field on Edubase (the DfES database of educational establishments). Schools that are known not to have a particular religious denomination are included in the no denomination column whereas the specified religious denomination column includes all local authority maintained schools in London with a specified religious character. Expenditure data for individual schools is not available in 1997-98 and hence we are unable to split the LA level figures for 1997-98 into schools with and without a religious denomination. 5. Spending in 1997-98 reflects the transfer of monies from local government to central Government for the nursery vouchers scheme. These were returned to local government from 1998-99. 6. 1999-2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the RO1 form collected by the CLG to the section 52 form from the DfES. 2002-03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) to schools and the associated restructuring of the outturn tables. 7. The calculation for 2005-06 onwards is broadly similar to the calculation in 1997-98. However, 1997-98 includes all premature retirement compensation (PRC) and Crombie payments, mandatory PRC payments and other indirect employee expenses whereas in 2005-06 only the schools element of these categories is included. Also, for some local authorities, expenditure that had previously been attributed to the school sectors was reported within the central local authority expenditure part of the form in 2005-06 and would therefore be excluded from the 2005-06 unit cost. 8. All data are subject to change by the local authority. 9. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Pupils: Protection

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance his Department issues to local authorities and schools about  (a) appropriate professional relationships between teachers and other staff and pupils and their families and  (b) physical contact with pupils to safeguard children in education.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 22 May 2007
	The Department has included guidance on physical contact with pupils and abuse of a relationship of trust in Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education. Separate guidance has also been issued on the use of restraint in schools, Circular 10/98 The Use of Force to Control or Restrain Pupils, outlines what teachers and other authorised staff are allowed to do. This is currently under revision, with the aim of publishing revised guidance by the end of June.
	There are also two specialised guidance documents for pupils with special educational needs. Guidance on the Use of Restrictive Physical Interventions for Staff Working with Children and Adults who Display Extreme Behaviour in Association with Learning Disability and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorders and Guidance on the Use of Physical Interventions for Pupils with Severe Behavioural Difficulties.
	We have not however issued guidance on relationships between teachers and pupils' families.

Schools: Biometrics

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to publish guidance to schools on the use of biometric technologies.

Jim Knight: holding answer 24 May 2007
	The Department aims to publish guidance to schools on the use of biometric technologies shortly.

Schools: Combined Heat and Power

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 365-66W, on schools: combined heat and power, which local planning authorities require new schools of over 1,000m(2) in area to install on-site renewable energy to supply a proportion of the predicted building's energy load; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We do not collect information on which local planning authorities require new schools to install on-site renewable energy to supply a proportion of the predicted building's load. However, the Town and Country Planning Association conducted their own survey of local planning authorities(1) in 2006 asking this question. This showed that nearly 60 per cent. of the 212 councils that replied (out of the 387 sent the survey) had a policy adopted or in draft form at that time. A further 20 per cent. were considering adopting a policy and 20 per cent. had not considered adopting a policy. Since that date more local planning authorities have adopted a policy following the strengthening of the policy recommendations in Policy Planning Statement 22 on Renewable Energy, by the Department for Communities and Local Government, in June 2006.
	(1) Reported in the issue of Building Magazine dated 28-07-2007.

Schools: Combined Heat and Power

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 365-66W, on schools: combined heat and power, how many new school buildings over 1,000m(2) in area built in the last five years use microgeneration facilities.

Jim Knight: We do not know how many new schools built in the last five years use microgeneration.

Schools: Crime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students were convicted of crimes committed at their school during school hours in the London Borough of Havering in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Schools: Industrial Health and Safety

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions he has held with  (a) the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers,  (b) the Health and Safety Executive and  (c) the National Governors Association on health and safety within schools.

Jim Knight: The Secretary of State has had no recent meetings with these organisations where health and safety within schools was discussed. Ministers regularly meet representatives of NASUWT and NGA on a wide range of issues; and officials are in regular contact with NASUWT and HSE on matters concerning health and safety.

Secondary Education: Curriculum

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which maintained secondary schools in England which have sixth forms preparing pupils for A level do not offer A level courses in  (a) further mathematics,  (b) French,  (c) German,  (d) Spanish,  (e) economics,  (f) physics and  (g) chemistry.

Jim Knight: The information required to answer the question is not available.

Social Enterprise Studies

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which  (a) schools and  (b) tertiary-level institutions offer social enterprise studies among the courses for the officially recognised qualifications, broken down by local education authority.

Jim Knight: The information required to answer this question is not available.

Statistics

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on how many occasions in the last five years the publication date of statistics produced by his Department has been changed; what the  (a) subject of the statistics,  (b) (i) original and (ii) final date of publication and  (c) reason for the delay was in each case; and who took the decision to delay the publication in each case.

Jim Knight: In accordance with the National Statistics Code of Practice (2002), the Head of Profession for Statistics in the Department for Education and Skills has sole responsibility for determining, pre-announcing and, if necessary, altering the dates of publication of National Statistics and other relevant statistics produced by the Department.
	Any decision to change a pre-announced publication date will be based on a range of professional considerations such as the completeness of the underlying data, their fitness for purpose, the need for consistency and coherence, the need to promote widespread access and informed debate, or any earlier accidental or wrongful release. In reaching a decision, the Head of Profession will also take into consideration the detailed procedural guidance given in the National Statistics Protocol on Release Practices. The Head of Profession has published a statement describing how the Department's release practices comply with the Release Practice Protocol. This can be accessed at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/compliance06.pdf The code and its 12 supporting protocols are available in the Library of the House, and can also be accessed using the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/default.asp
	There have been only 27 occasions from a total of 322 publications in the last five years when the Head of Profession has changed a pre-announced publication date. The details are as follows:
	
		
			  Subject of the statistics  The original publication date  Final date of publication  Reason for the delay  Who took the decision to delay 
			 SFR: GCSE/GNVQ and GCE A/AS Level Performance of Candidates Attempting two or more GCE A Levels or AS Equivalents: 2000/01 27 March 2002 25 April 2002 Due to the time taken to quality assure the charts and tables Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Bulletin: Pupil Progress in Secondary Schools by School Type in England: 2001 March 2002 17 June 2002 Discussions with users about the proposed content of the publication took longer than expected Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 SFR: Adult Education Enrolments in England: November 2001 22 May 2002 4 July 2002 Record of reason is no longer available Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Volume: Statistics of Education Schools in England 2002 Edition September 2002 28 October 2002 Due to quality assurance of the tables taking longer than expected Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Bulletin: Provision for Children Under Five Years of Age in England: January 2002 October 2002 17 December 2002 Due to our own quality assurance processes revealing discrepancies with the data Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 SFR: GCSE/GNVQ and GCE/VCE A/AS Results for Young People in England (Provisional Statistics) December 2002 January 2003 for the GCSE/GNVQ element and March 2003 for the GCE/VCE A/AS element This publication was based on the data that underpins the Secondary School Performance Tables. As a result of the delay to the 2002 Performance Tables, the SFR had to be delayed until early 2003 Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Volume: Statistics of Education: Teachers in England 2002 Edition (including teachers pay in England and Wales) December 2002 30 January 2003 The preparation of the publication was delayed because of other work priorities, and staff shortages Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Bulletin: Class Sizes and Pupil: Teacher Ratios in England 2002 January 2003 20 February 2003 The preparation of the publication was delayed because of other work priorities, and staff shortages Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 SFR: Adult Education Enrolments in England: November 2002 March 2003 15 May 2003 The release was delayed because of the lateness of returns from some local education authorities and the need for further quality assurance of the dataset to be completed Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Bulletin: GCSE/GNVQ and GCE A/AS/VCEs level performance of candidates attempting two or more GCE A levels/VCEs or AS Equivalents in 2001/02 April 2003 29 May 2003 Due to the delay in publication of the post-16 performance tables. The final performance tables dataset was not available week beginning 17 March 2003; therefore the Bulletin followed at a later date Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Bulletin: Statistics of Education: Vocational Qualifications in the UK: 2001/02 29 May 2003 26 June 2003 Due to problems with data from one Awarding Body on the National Information System for Vocational Qualifications (NISVQ) Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Bulletin: National Curriculum Assessments of 7 and 11 year olds in England 2002 (This publication is only available on the internet) June 2003 October 2003 However, instead of being published as a separate bulletin, extra tables were added to the provisional SFRs Delayed in order to incorporate final information on pupil performance in 2002 taken from the National Pupil Database in June 2003 Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Bulletin: National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 3, GCSE/GNVQ Examination Results and Associated Value Added Measures in England 2001/02 (This publication is only available on the internet) June 2003 October 2003 However, instead of being published as a separate bulletin, extra tables were added to the provisional SFRs Delayed in order to incorporate final information on pupil performance in 2002 taken from the National Pupil Database in June 2003 Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 SFR: Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England: 2001 and 2002 June 2003 20 November 2003 The publication was delayed to allow further quality assurance of the underlying data Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 SFR: School Workforce in England (including pupil teacher ratios and pupil adults ratios) January 2003 (Revised) August 2003 9 September 2003 Due to a change in priorities, this statistical first release was released in September Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Bulletin: Information and Communications Technology in Schools in England: 2003 September 2003 30 October 2003 Delayed until October 2003 because of other work priorities and staff shortages Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Volume: Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 2001/02 (Prepared and published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency in consultation with DfES statisticians) 25 September 2003 23 October 2003 Delayed due to printing difficulties Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Bulletin: Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in Each Local Area in England: 2004 (internet only) December 2003 26 February 2004 Delayed to allow further quality assurance of the underlying data. The delay was also due to the knock-on effect of the delay to the publication of the national participation estimates Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Volume: Statistics of Education: School Workforce in England 2003 Edition December 2003 20 January 2004 Delayed because of other work priorities and to allow for the inclusion of up-to-date figures on initial teaching training Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 SFR: National Curriculum Assessments and GCSE/GNVQ attainment by pupil characteristics, in England 2002 (Final) and 2003 (Provisional) January 2004 24 February 2004 Delayed in order to incorporate a later version of the 2003 data. Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 SFR: Qualification and Participation in learning at a local level: England 2002/03 April 2004 11 May 2004 The original publication date was dependent on receiving the dataset for the Local Labour Force Survey from ONS in February. ONS were unable to provide the dataset for analysis until the end of March Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Volume: Statistics of Education: School Workforce in England 2004 Edition September 2004 27 January 2005 As an interim measure, an update to SFR 09/2004 was released in September. This included revised national and regional tables together with LEA level tables Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 SFR: Children looked after in England (including adoptions and care leavers): 2003-04 October 2004 17 November 2004 Delayed due to problems related with the implementation of a new data collection system Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 SFR: Provision for Children Under Five Years of Age in England: January 2005 (Final) August 2005 28 September 2005 The date of publication was deferred until September to allow further quality assurance of the sub-national data to be carried out Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 SFR: National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 Value Added Measures in England 2004/05 (Revised) November 2005 1 December 2005 The slight delay was due to the additional time needed to finalise the SFR that included some new features. For example, confidence intervals quoted alongside the key stage 1 to key stage 2 Value Added (VA) measures Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 Volume: Statistics of Education: School Workforce in England 2005 Edition (including teachers' pay for England and Wales) December 2005 26 January 2006 The volume had been rescheduled to January from December. The slight delay was due to a combination of other competing work pressures and the need to incorporate the latest data from external sources Head of Profession for Statistics 
			 SFR: National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics in England 2005 February 2006 1 March 2006 This SFR was originally planned for publication in late February 2006. However, its release was delayed until early March to allow for additional quality assurance Head of Profession for Statistics

Students: Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the expected cost is of fee  (a) loans and  (b) grants for full-time students on undergraduate degrees linked to Higher Education Funding Council for England and Training and Development Agency-funded provision for EU students studying in English institutions in 2007-08; what the planned cash cost is of maintenance income contingent loans for full-time higher education students in England in 2007-08 and for EU students studying in English institutions; and what the planned cash cost is of grants for (i) full-time and (ii) part-time undergraduate students from EU member states studying in English institutions in England in 2007-08.

Bill Rammell: We expect the cost of full-time EU students studying in English HE Institutions in 2007-08 to be as shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Amount ( million) 
			 Fee Loans  
			 Cash outlay (1)70 
			 Resource cost(2) (1)120 
			   
			 Fee Grants (1)10 
			   
			 Maintenance Loans  
			 Cash outlay (1)20 
			 Resource cost(3) 5 
			   
			 Other Grants 5 
			 (1) Rounded to the nearest 10 million.  (2) The resource cost of providing fee loans is based on a RAB charge of 33 per cent. which reflects the true cost of loans to the Government over the lifetime of the loan.  (3) The resource cost of providing maintenance loans is based on a RAB charge of 21 per cent. which reflects the true cost of loans to the Government over the lifetime of the loan. 
		
	
	Part-time EU students studying in English HE institutions are expected to cost around 1 million in grants. The estimated cost of loans and grants for EU students represents about 2 per cent. of the total resource cost to the Government of student support provision of approx 1.9 billion. Under the terms of the EC treaty, UK students may attend universities in other European States and benefit from whatever fee support that country offers.
	EU loan repayments will be collected by the Student Loans Company (SLC), which already has experience of recovering loans from UK borrowers who go overseas and from EEA migrant workers who are entitled to loans. All borrowers from September 2006 enter a contract with the SLC enforceable in UK law which, under EC regulation 44/2001, can be enforced by courts in other EU countries.

Supply Teachers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on supply teachers in each of the last five years, broken down by local education authority.

Jim Knight: The available information relating to supply teaching staff is contained in the following table. The Department is due to collect the section 52 Outturn data relating to the 2006-07 financial year from August 2007.
	
		
			  Total gross expenditure by local authority maintained schools on supply teachers: 2002-06 
			   
			  Local Authority Name:  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  England 846,053,000 833,390,000 820,780,000 886,783,000 
			 Barking and Dagenham 6,841,000 6,114,000 4,735,000 5,935,000 
			 Barnet 5,839,000 5,891,000 6,771,000 7,287,000 
			 Barnsley 3,108,000 3,994,000 4,514,000 5,078,000 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 2,730,000 2,708,000 2,688,000 2,679,000 
			 Bedfordshire 5,682,000 5,058,000 4,995,000 5,614,000 
			 Bexley 6,901,000 5,949,000 5,609,000 6,011,000 
			 Birmingham 24,545,000 24,272,000 23,876,000 26,215,000 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 2,732,000 2,609,000 2,842,000 3,484,000 
			 Blackpool 2,463,000 2,724,000 2,532,000 1,923,000 
			 Bolton 4,607,000 4,272,000 4,119,000 4,890,000 
			 Bournemouth 2,162,000 1,759,000 1,681,000 1,981,000 
			 Bracknell Forest 1,401,000 1,342,000 1,265,000 1,609,000 
			 Bradford 10,909,000 11,409,000 11,313,000 11,236,000 
			 Brent 5,570,000 5,878,000 6,116,000 6,329,000 
			 Brighton and Hove 3,027,000 3,080,000 2,964,000 3,837,000 
			 Bristol City of 6,772,000 6,663,000 7,184,000 7,657,000 
			 Bromley 4,323,000 3,798,000 3,619,000 4,471,000 
			 Buckinghamshire 6,978,000 6,802,000 6,397,000 6,915,000 
			 Bury 1,091,000 3,593,000 3,430,000 2,092,000 
			 Calderdale 3,865,000 4,055,000 3,861,000 4,022,000 
			 Cambridgeshire 6,288,000 6,162,000 6,699,000 7,885,000 
			 Camden 3,640,000 3,065,000 3,226,000 4,188,000 
			 Cheshire 7,908,000 8,896,000 9,029,000 10,393,000 
			 City of London 196,000 155,000 58,000 85,000 
			 Cornwall 6,478,000 6,866,000 7,235,000 7,830,000 
			 Coventry 5,727,000 5,457,000 5,374,000 6,920,000 
			 Croydon 6,234,000 5,517,000 4,999,000 5,489,000 
			 Cumbria 4,490,000 8,905,000 6,068,000 7,256,000 
			 Darlington 1,736,000 1,721,000 1,649,000 1,855,000 
			 Derby 4,071,000 4,968,000 4,495,000 4,771,000 
			 Derbyshire 12,059,000 11,792,000 11,642,000 13,415,000 
			 Devon 7,989,000 8,852,000 9,099,000 9,777,000 
			 Doncaster 5,053,000 5,016,000 5,246,000 5,378,000 
			 Dorset 3,925,000 3,777,000 4,888,000 5,041,000 
			 Dudley 4,380,000 4,414,000 5,005,000 5,532,000 
			 Durham 7,695,000 8,036,000 7,356,000 7,957,000 
			 Ealing 5,849,000 6,164,000 5,135,000 6,815,000 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 5,610,000 4,636,000 4,672,000 5,007,000 
			 East Sussex 6,434,000 6,185,000 6,529,000 7,043,000 
			 Enfield 7,450,000 6,639,000 6,238,000 6,892,000 
			 Essex 19,065,000 17,929,000 17,555,000 19,632,000 
			 Gateshead 3,024,000 2,997,000 3,261,000 3,853,000 
			 Gloucestershire 6,202,000 7,109,000 7,302,000 7,606,000 
			 Greenwich 7,807,000 6,851,000 6,208,000 7,354,000 
			 Hackney 11,208,000 6,898,000 6,258,000 6,427,000 
			 Halton 1,799,000 1,908,000 1,283,000 1,525,000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,105,000 2,755,000 2,772,000 3,024,000 
			 Hampshire 14,028,000 14,957,000 14,872,000 15,071,000 
			 Haringey 5,840,000 6,173,000 6,464,000 8,276,000 
			 Harrow 4,773,000 4,495,000 4,468,000 4,495,000 
			 Hartlepool 1,635,000 1,935,000 1,454,000 1,908,000 
			 Havering 5,180,000 4,421,000 4,010,000 4,622,000 
			 Herefordshire 2,004,000 2,038,000 2,283,000 2,745,000 
			 Hertfordshire 18,245,000 17,220,000 16,298,000 17,293,000 
			 Hillingdon 5,995,000 6,429,000 5,467,000 5,652,000 
			 Hounslow 6,892,000 5,823,000 5,217,000 5,780,000 
			 Isle of Wight 1,759,000 1,688,000 1,405,000 1,809,000 
			 Isles of Scilly 28,000 55,000 27,000 30,000 
			 Islington 6,229,000 5,315,000 5,192,000 5,987,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2,229,000 1,937,000 1,909,000 2,278,000 
			 Kent 19,523,000 18,726,000 18,044,000 19,800,000 
			 Kingston upon Hull City of 5,209,000 4,918,000 4,390,000 4,914,000 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2,006,000 1,893,000 1,923,000 2,132,000 
			 Kirklees 5,456,000 5,586,000 5,683,000 6,473,000 
			 Knowsley 3,241,000 3,545,000 2,680,000 3,157,000 
			 Lambeth 6,126,000 6,089,000 5,829,000 6,917,000 
			 Lancashire 18,304,000 19,099,000 19,702,000 20,038,000 
			 Leeds 12,381,000 12,276,000 12,101,000 12,954,000 
			 Leicester 6,746,000 6,138,000 6,245,000 6,705,000 
			 Leicestershire 10,537,000 9,575,000 9,323,000 10,702,000 
			 Lewisham 6,374,000 5,225,000 6,054,000 6,705,000 
			 Lincolnshire 10,135,000 11,018,000 11,256,000 11,945,000 
			 Liverpool 18,815,000 8,848,000 7,803,000 8,310,000 
			 Luton 4,276,000 4,248,000 3,908,000 4,185,000 
			 Manchester 7,188,000 7,226,000 6,742,000 7,646,000 
			 Medway 4,291,000 4,162,000 4,417,000 4,486,000 
			 Merton 4,724,000 3,923,000 3,634,000 3,852,000 
			 Middlesbrough 2,566,000 2,360,000 1,797,000 1,982,000 
			 Milton Keynes 2,574,000 2,594,000 3,008,000 2,963,000 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,695,000 4,311,000 4,464,000 4,121,000 
			 Newham 13,791,000 11,166,000 10,029,000 10,840,000 
			 Norfolk 9,887,000 9,997,000 9,719,000 11,291,000 
			 North East Lincolnshire 3,105,000 2,923,000 2,862,000 2,688,000 
			 North Lincolnshire 2,580,000 2,709,000 2,549,000 2,865,000 
			 North Somerset 2,925,000 3,279,000 3,114,000 3,487,000 
			 North Tyneside 3,642,000 3,130,000 2,996,000 2,976,000 
			 North Yorkshire 9,713,000 9,888,000 9,851,000 10,914,000 
			 Northamptonshire 8,456,000 8,278,000 9,045,000 9,686,000 
			 Northumberland 3,878,000 4,010,000 4,686,000 4,506,000 
			 Nottingham 6,115,000 6,155,000 4,776,000 4,857,000 
			 Nottinghamshire 14,066,000 14,117,000 14,450,000 16,096,000 
			 Oldham 3,843,000 3,970,000 3,629,000 3,799,000 
			 Oxfordshire 5,269,000 5,237,000 7,143,000 6,599,000 
			 Peterborough 2,194,000 2,233,000 2,450,000 2,452,000 
			 Plymouth 3,228,000 3,340,000 3,380,000 3,556,000 
			 Poole 1,592,000 1,432,000 1,602,000 1,778,000 
			 Portsmouth 2,559,000 2,808,000 2,652,000 3,039,000 
			 Reading 1,727,000 1,590,000 1,549,000 1,684,000 
			 Redbridge 4,404,000 5,144,000 4,788,000 5,089,000 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 2,532,000 2,673,000 2,434,000 2,448,000 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2,755,000 2,791,000 2,897,000 3,063,000 
			 Rochdale 3,798,000 3,973,000 4,035,000 4,204,000 
			 Rotherham 5,705,000 6,298,000 5,938,000 5,110,000 
			 Rutland 369,000 405,000 348,000 344,000 
			 Salford 3,558,000 4,064,000 4,164,000 4,096,000 
			 Sandwell 6,783,000 7,255,000 7,484,000 7,386,000 
			 Sefton 4,769,000 3,153,000 3,253,000 3,186,000 
			 Sheffield 9,243,000 9,447,000 9,673,000 10,059,000 
			 Shropshire 3,932,000 4,665,000 4,159,000 4,438,000 
			 Slough 2,445,000 2,336,000 2,400,000 2,214,000 
			 Solihull 2,945,000 3,447,000 3,776,000 3,955,000 
			 Somerset 6,631,000 6,338,000 7,020,000 6,910,000 
			 South Gloucestershire 4,310,000 4,055,000 4,654,000 4,921,000 
			 South Tyneside 2,697,000 3,343,000 2,850,000 2,892,000 
			 Southampton 3,112,000 2,892,000 3,132,000 3,227,000 
			 Southend-on-Sea 2,021,000 2,002,000 2,069,000 2,356,000 
			 Southwark 7,869,000 7,920,000 7,365,000 9,487,000 
			 St. Helens 2,872,000 2,975,000 3,259,000 3,358,000 
			 Staffordshire 10,906,000 11,142,000 11,371,000 12,178,000 
			 Stockport 3,175,000 3,423,000 4,029,000 4,726,000 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 3,164,000 3,083,000 3,108,000 3,556,000 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 3,756,000 4,694,000 4,196,000 4,195,000 
			 Suffolk 9,349,000 9,241,000 9,463,000 9,362,000 
			 Sunderland 4,365,000 5,001,000 5,640,000 6,114,000 
			 Surrey 9,093,000 10,409,000 10,750,000 11,261,000 
			 Sutton 3,358,000 3,456,000 3,389,000 3,698,000 
			 Swindon 2,235,000 2,558,000 2,796,000 2,912,000 
			 Tameside 3,574,000 3,366,000 3,205,000 3,069,000 
			 Telford and Wrekin 2,969,000 3,025,000 2,684,000 2,720,000 
			 Thurrock 2,887,000 2,606,000 2,561,000 2,703,000 
			 Torbay 1,636,000 1,826,000 1,886,000 1,814,000 
			 Tower Hamlets 10,578,000 9,975,000 8,903,000 8,859,000 
			 Trafford 3,000,000 2,756,000 2,560,000 2,730,000 
			 Wakefield 3,338,000 3,622,000 4,223,000 4,369,000 
			 Walsall 6,385,000 5,672,000 5,916,000 6,564,000 
			 Waltham Forest 7,170,000 7,314,000 7,046,000 8,011,000 
			 Wandsworth 4,398,000 4,111,000 4,288,000 5,073,000 
			 Warrington 4,991,000 3,524,000 2,924,000 3,126,000 
			 Warwickshire 8,563,000 8,882,000 7,816,000 8,804,000 
			 West Berkshire 2,172,000 2,576,000 2,452,000 2,400,000 
			 West Sussex 10,454,000 9,970,000 8,975,000 10,247,000 
			 Westminster 4,696,000 4,402,000 4,703,000 4,127,000 
			 Wigan 5,623,000 6,070,000 6,195,000 6,057,000 
			 Wiltshire 5,309,000 5,372,000 5,351,000 5,867,000 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,896,000 1,837,000 1,873,000 1,755,000 
			 Wirral 7,384,000 7,144,000 7,030,000 7,770,000 
			 Wokingham 2,126,000 1,833,000 1,826,000 1,842,000 
			 Wolverhampton 3,202,000 3,599,000 3,813,000 4,322,000 
			 Worcestershire 6,629,000 7,164,000 7,204,000 7,601,000 
			 York 2,378,000 2,418,000 2,566,000 2,949,000 
			  Notes:  1. Includes only expenditure by maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools with delegated budgets. Central local authority expenditure on supply teachers is not recorded separately and is therefore excluded from this table. Expenditure by local authority maintained nursery schools was not recorded in 2002-03 and is therefore also excluded for that year.  2. Includes both the salaries and wages of all supply teaching staff employed directly by the school who are covering curriculum release, long term absence, sickness absence and training absence as well as the cost paid to an agency for supply teaching staff that have been brought in to cover teacher absence. Expenditure on salaries and wages consists of expenditure on gross pay, including bonuses and allowances, maternity pay and the employer's contributions to national insurance and superannuation.  3. Figures do not include any expenditure on supply teacher insurance nor do they net off any receipts from supply teacher insurance claims.  4. Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000 and may not sum due to rounding. 5. Figures are drawn from local authorities' Section 52 Outturn Statements submitted to the DFES and reported in cash terms as at 17 May 2007.

Teachers: Pay

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school teacher's wage was in the last 12 months in each local education authority.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the average salaries of full-time regular qualified teachers in local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools by local authority, in March 2005, the latest information available.
	
		
			  Average salaries of full-time teachers( 1)  employed in local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools by local authority in England and Wales, March 2005 
			   
			Nursery/primary  Secondary 
			   North East   
			 841 Darlington 32,090 33,940 
			 840 Durham 31,430 33,160 
			 390 Gateshead 30,750 32,930 
			 805 Hartlepool 30,940 34,060 
			 806 Middlesbrough 31,340 33,600 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 31,840 33,540 
			 392 North Tyneside 30,910 32,350 
			 929 Northumberland 31,450 32,470 
			 807 Redcar and Cleveland 31,150 32,960 
			 393 South Tyneside 32,170 33,620 
			 808 Stockton-on-Tees 31,300 33,260 
			 394 Sunderland 31,350 32,980 
			 
			   North West   
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 31,570 33,730 
			 890 Blackpool 30,220 33,030 
			 350 Bolton 31,300 33,100 
			 351 Bury 31,930 33,500 
			 875 Cheshire 31,310 32,930 
			 909 Cumbria 31,590 33,660 
			 876 Halton 31,720 32,040 
			 340 Knowsley 31,750 33,740 
			 888 Lancashire 31,670 33,360 
			 341 Liverpool n/a n/a 
			 352 Manchester 31,080 33,220 
			 353 Oldham 30,780 32,380 
			 354 Rochdale 31,710 33,140 
			 355 Salford 31,260 33,790 
			 343 Sefton 31,960 34,240 
			 342 St. Helens 31,890 33,430 
			 356 Stockport 31,860 32,850 
			 357 Tameside 31,330 32,760 
			 358 Trafford 31,300 32,900 
			 877 Warrington 30,930 32,170 
			 359 Wigan 31,430 32,910 
			 344 Wirral n/a n/a 
			 
			   Yorkshire and the Humber   
			 370 Barnsley 31,280 32,670 
			 380 Bradford 31,660 33,620 
			 381 Calderdale 30,920 33,240 
			 371 Doncaster 31,300 33,710 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 31,310 32,940 
			 810 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 30,910 33,660 
			 382 Kirklees 31,720 33,410 
			 383 Leeds n/a 33,110 
			 812 North East Lincolnshire 31,550 33,010 
			 813 North Lincolnshire 31,350 33,750 
			 815 North Yorkshire 31,770 32,880 
			 372 Rotherham 31,420 32,870 
			 373 Sheffield 30,780 32,440 
			 384 Wakefield 31,180 31,930 
			 816 York 31,260 32,730 
			 
			   East Midlands   
			 831 Derby 30,020 31,690 
			 830 Derbyshire 31,150 33,460 
			 856 Leicester 30,600 33,320 
			 855 Leicestershire 31,070 33,090 
			 925 Lincolnshire 30,320 n/a 
			 928 Northamptonshire 30,350 32,820 
			 892 Nottingham 31,690 33,400 
			 891 Nottinghamshire 31,430 33,050 
			 857 Rutland 29,810 34,130 
			   West Midlands   
			 330 Birmingham 31,480 34,270 
			 331 Coventry 31,450 33,890 
			 332 Dudley 31,350 33,350 
			 884 Herefordshire 30,990 32,850 
			 333 Sandwell 30,680 33,270 
			 893 Shropshire 31,760 33,370 
			 334 Solihull 31,070 33,430 
			 860 Staffordshire 31,140 33,050 
			 861 Stoke-on-Trent 30,350 32,320 
			 894 Telford and Wrekin 30,970 33,600 
			 335 Walsall 31,830 33,170 
			 937 Warwickshire 30,720 32,700 
			 336 Wolverhampton 31,360 33,780 
			 885 Worcestershire 30,960 32,740 
			 
			   East of England   
			 820 Bedfordshire 30,970 33,020 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 30,360 n/a 
			 881 Essex 31,610 34,180 
			 919 Hertfordshire 31,420 34,300 
			 821 Luton 30,770 34,100 
			 926 Norfolk 31,040 33,550 
			 874 Peterborough 29,830 33,630 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea 31,000 34,540 
			 935 Suffolk 31,040 33,070 
			 883 Thurrock 32,790 35,680 
			 
			   London   
			   Inner London   
			 202 Camden 37,280 40,440 
			 201 City of London n/a n/a 
			 204 Hackney n/a 39,710 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 35,360 41,180 
			 309 Haringey 36,270 38,990 
			 206 Islington 36,550 n/a 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 35,360 38,360 
			 208 Lambeth n/a n/a 
			 209 Lewisham 36,880 40,420 
			 316 Newham 35,490 39,530 
			 210 Southwark n/a n/a 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 36,840 40,200 
			 212 Wandsworth 35,470 39,330 
			 213 Westminster 34,740 35,990 
			 
			   Outer London   
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 36,810 39,420 
			 302 Barnet 33,210 35,530 
			 303 Bexley n/a n/a 
			 304 Brent n/a n/a 
			 305 Bromley n/a n/a 
			 306 Croydon n/a n/a 
			 307 Ealing 36,050 38,330 
			 308 Enfield 34,100 36,160 
			 203 Greenwich 36,220 38,640 
			 310 Harrow 33,660 37,400 
			 311 Havering 33,760 36,830 
			 312 Hillingdon 32,660 35,800 
			 313 Hounslow 33,420 35,470 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 32,950 35,670 
			 315 Merton 35,250 39,160 
			 317 Redbridge 33,330 36,030 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 32,610 35,290 
			 319 Sutton n/a n/a 
			 320 Waltham Forest n/a n/a 
			 
			   South East   
			 867 Bracknell Forest 31,180 34,450 
			 846 Brighton and Hove 30,670 32,910 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 30,770 34,490 
			 845 East Sussex 30,180 32,940 
			 850 Hampshire 30,930 33,070 
			 921 Isle of Wight 30,670 32,210 
			 886 Kent 30,880 34,000 
			 887 Medway 31,320 33,550 
			 826 Milton Keynes 30,300 32,630 
			 931 Oxfordshire 30,330 33,130 
			 851 Portsmouth 30,790 33,450 
			 870 Reading 29,760 34,850 
			 871 Slough 31,420 35,430 
			 852 Southampton 30,050 32,430 
			 936 Surrey 29,790 32,390 
			 869 West Berkshire 30,660 32,220 
			 938 West Sussex 30,680 33,250 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 31,450 34,590 
			 872 Wokingham 30,700 33,450 
			 
			   South West   
			 800 Bath and North East Somerset 30,520 32,860 
			 837 Bournemouth 30,800 33,660 
			 801 Bristol, City of 30,050 32,790 
			 908 Cornwall 31,370 33,230 
			 878 Devon 31,100 33,260 
			 835 Dorset 30,960 32,950 
			 916 Gloucestershire 31,360 32,730 
			 420 Isles of Scilly 32,540 n/a 
			 802 North Somerset 31,190 32,560 
			 879 Plymouth 31,270 33,390 
			 836 Poole 30,900 32,910 
			 933 Somerset 31,460 33,140 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 30,150 32,630 
			 866 Swindon 29,870 32,470 
			 880 Torbay n/a n/a 
			 865 Wiltshire 30,660 32,470 
			  England 31,650 33,770 
			 
			  Wales 32,140 33,070 
			 n/a = Not available includes local authorities where there are less than 100 records or where less than 80 per cent. of records have been received. (1) All grades including the leadership group.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Database of Teacher Records

Teachers: Sick Leave

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teaching staff have been on sick leave  (a) in total and  (b) as a result of stress-related illness in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The following table gives information for teacher sickness absence including numbers in local authority maintained schools for calendar years 2000 to 2006.
	The reasons teachers take sickness absence, including stress related illnesses are not collected centrally.
	
		
			  Table 13: Full-time and part-time teacher sickness absence( 1)  in England, calendar years 2000 to 2006, LA maintained sector 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006( 2) 
			 Percentage of teachers taking sickness absence(3) 55 55 57 57 55 55 57 
			 Days sick per teacher(3) 5.4 5.4 5.3 5.4 5.3 5.2 5.3 
			 Days sick per teacher taking sickness absence 9.9 10.0 9.3 9.6 9.5 9.3 9.3 
			 Number of teachers taking sickness absence 273,300 279,200 293,400 298,100 292,800 300,700 309,000 
			 Total days sickness absence taken 2,694,400 2,782,100 2,739,300 2,853,600 2,796,100 2,796,000 2,880,400 
			 (1) Provisional. (2) Includes estimated figures for those local authorities that did not provide complete data or provided potentially inaccurate data. (3) Based on an estimate of the number of teachers that have worked in the maintained sector during the calendar year.  Source:  618g survey

Teaching Methods

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1868W, on teaching methods, what proportion of  (a) mathematics,  (b) English,  (c) science and  (d) all lessons (excluding PE lessons) inspected by Ofsted were recorded as setted and banded in each year since 2002-03.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 22 May 2007:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	You asked what proportion of  (a) mathematics,  (b) English,  (c) science and  (d) all lessons (excluding PE lessons) inspected by Ofsted were recorded as setted and banded in each year since 2002-03.
	The proportions shown in the tables overleaf are broken down by year groups 7 to 11, for academic years 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	
		
			  The proportion of English, Maths, Science and All lessons (excluding PE) inspected by Ofsted that were recorded as setted and banded in each year since 2002-03 
			   English  Maths 
			  2002/03  Total lessons  % Banded  % Setted  Total lessons  % Banded  % Setted 
			 Year 7 1,619 5 38 1,306 3 74 
			 Year 8 1,215 6 51 1,099 3 85 
			 Year 9 1,589 7 51 1,401 2 90 
			 Year 10 1,301 6 57 1,245 1 90 
			 Year 11 1,494 6 59 1,422 1 90 
			 Total 7-11 7,218 6 51 6,473 2 86 
		
	
	
		
			   Science  All (excluding PE ) 
			   Total lessons  % Banded  % Setted  Total lessons  % Banded  % Setted 
			 Year 7 1,121 4 40 10,406 5 29 
			 Year 8 1,013 6 62 9,482 6 41 
			 Year 9 1,345 5 74 12,259 6 45 
			 Year 10 1,359 4 80 11,064 3 40 
			 Year 11 1,528 3 83 12,060 3 42 
			 Total 7-11 6,366 4 70 55,271 4 40 
		
	
	
		
			  The proportion of English, Maths, Science and All lessons (excluding PE) inspected by Ofsted that were recorded as setted and banded in each year since 2002-03 
			   English  Maths 
			  2003/04  Total lessons  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Average ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Lower ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Upper ability range within the school  Total lessons  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Average ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Lower ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Upper ability range within the school 
			 Year 7 1,668 9 18 11 1,519 17 30 26 
			 Year 8 1,359 11 20 18 1,325 23 32 30 
			 Year 9 1,776 14 20 21 1,650 23 30 36 
			 Year 10 1,363 13 23 21 1,389 27 30 35 
			 Year 11 1,675 15 21 23 1,634 24 27 41 
			 Total 7-11 7,841 13 20 19 7,517 23 30 34 
		
	
	
		
			   Science  All (excluding PE) 
			   Total lessons  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Average ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Lower ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Upper ability range within the school  Total lessons  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Average ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Lower ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Upper ability range within the school 
			 Year 7 1,269 9 14 15 12,371 7 11 10 
			 Year 8 1,121 20 22 24 11,136 10 15 14 
			 Year 9 1,584 20 23 34 14,747 11 15 18 
			 Year 10 1,509 21 27 31 12,874 9 13 14 
			 Year 11 1,799 21 27 34 14,756 9 13 17 
			 Total 7-11 7,282 18 23 29 65,884 9 13 15 
		
	
	
		
			   English  Maths 
			  2004/05  Total lessons  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Average ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Lower ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Upper ability range within the school  Total lessons  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Average ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Lower ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Upper ability range within the school 
			 Year 7 1,284 8 19 9 1,065 19 27 26 
			 Year 8 1,038 12 20 18 986 23 31 34 
			 Year 9 1,360 13 19 21 1,293 25 29 38 
			 Year 10 1,032 13 22 25 1,102 25 30 36 
			 Year 11 1,312 14 20 25 1,253 24 28 38 
			 Total 7-11 6,026 12 20 19 5,699 23 29 34 
		
	
	
		
			   Science  All (excluding PE) 
			   Total lessons  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Average ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Lower ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Upper ability range within the school  Total lessons  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Average ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Lower ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Upper ability range within the school 
			 Year 7 904 9 13 14 9,351 6 10 9 
			 Year 8 794 19 22 25 8,320 10 14 15 
			 Year 9 1,187 20 23 35 11,572 11 15 18 
			 Year 10 1,145 21 28 32 10,125 8 12 14 
			 Year 11 1,362 19 29 34 11,877 9 12 15 
			 Total 7-11 5,392 18 24 29 51,245 9 13 14 
		
	
	
		
			   English  Maths 
			  2005/06  Total lessons  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Average ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Lower ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Upper ability range within the school  Total lessons  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Average ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Lower ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Upper ability range within the school 
			 Year 7 700 8 15 13 604 17 25 23 
			 Year 8 617 11 20 21 590 19 25 29 
			 Year 9 776 14 21 20 638 25 24 30 
			 Year 10 780 15 22 26 659 22 27 30 
			 Year 11 617 19 19 24 571 23 23 31 
			 Total 7-11 3,490 13 20 21 3,062 21 25 29 
		
	
	
		
			   Science  All (excluding PE) 
			   Total lessons  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Average ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Lower ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Upper ability range within the school  Total lessons  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Average ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Lower ability range within the school  Class Setted or streamed by ability where pupils are within the Upper ability range within the school 
			 Year 7 488 9 14 15 3,794 8 13 12 
			 Year 8 414 15 19 21 3,679 11 15 16 
			 Year 9 571 18 21 29 4,304 13 17 19 
			 Year 10 626 20 25 29 4,387 11 16 18 
			 Year 11 550 18 24 30 3,528 13 15 18 
			 Total 7-11 2,649 16 21 26 19,692 11 15 17

Vocational Education

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many of the consortia which have been approved to offer diploma courses from September 2008 include at least  (a) one further education college,  (b) one school and  (c) one private training provider; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: On 28 March I announced the first 145 consortia across 97 local authorities that have been given approval to offer one or more of the first five 14-19 diplomas from September 2008. There are a variety of different partnerships, based on local circumstances, but in most cases consortia are collaborates of more than one school, the local further education college and work-based training providers. Only those consortia who demonstrated they were able to provide high quality delivery across all the criteria from September 2008 were included in the first group.

Pupils: Eating Disorders

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what  (a) guidance and  (b) support is available in schools for children suffering from eating disorders;
	(2)  what materials her Department provides for schools and youth groups to help teachers and staff talk to pupils about eating disorders.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 24 May 2007
	 I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 6 March 2007,  Official R eport, column 1918W.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Apache AH-64 Helicopter

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what technical problems have delayed the deployment of Apache helicopters to Afghanistan.

Des Browne: There has been no delay in the deployment of Apache helicopters to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Peace Keeping Operations

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Desert Hawk mini-unmanned aerial vehicles have been  (a) lost and  (b) damaged beyond repair in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: A total of 15 Desert Hawk (1+ variant) air vehicles have been lost on operations in Afghanistan in the period up to 24 April 2007. In the same period, one Desert Hawk air vehicle has been damaged beyond economic repair.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces are located outside the United Kingdom.

Derek Twigg: pursuant to the reply, 21 May 2007, Official Report, c. 1047W
	The figure of 15,220 armed forces personnel deployed on operations outside the UK was incorrect for which I apologise. The correct answer should read;
	As at 30 April 2007, 15,010 armed forces personnel were deployed on operations outside the UK.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average tour interval is of  (a) 1st Battalion the Royal Welsh,  (b) 1st Battalion the Scots Guards,  (c) 19th Regiment Royal Artillery,  (d) 5th Regiment Royal Artillery and  (e) 39th Regiment Royal Artillery.

Adam Ingram: pursuant to the reply, 18 May 200 7 , Official Report, c. 981-82W
	The table provided was incorrect and should have read as follows:
	The recent average tour intervals for the Army units listed are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Regiment  Operational deployments  Tour interval (months)  Date  Average (months) 
			 1st Battalion the Royal Welsh Unit deployed to:
			  Northern Ireland (June to November 2001) 29 December 2001 to April 2004 18 
			  Iraq (May to October 2004) 10 November 2004 to August 2005  
			  Northern Ireland (September 2005 to January 2006) Theatre Reserve Battalion (May 2007 to May 2008) 15 February 2006 to April 2007  
			  
			 1st Battalion the Scots Guards Unit deployed to:
			  Northern Ireland (May to November 2001) 35 December 2001 to October 2004 30 
			  Iraq (November 2004 to April 2005) (1)24 May 2005 to May 2007  
			  
			 19th Regiment Royal Artillery Unit deployed to:
			  Iraq (May to November 2005) Afghanistan (May to October 2007) 17 December 2005 to April 2007 17 
			  
			 39th Regiment Royal Artillery Unit deployed to:
			  Northern Ireland (November 2002 to May 2003) Cyprus (October 2006 to April 2007) 40 June 2003 to September 2006 40 
			  Now deploying as subunits in support of operations
			  
			 5th Regiment Royal Artillery Deployed as subunits in support of operations to Operation Telic, Operation Herrick and Northern Ireland n/a n/a n/a 
			 (1 )To date 
		
	
	All tour intervals are calculated by units rather than subunits. We are unable to calculate tour intervals for 5th Regiment Royal Artillery.

Armed Forces: Expenditure

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the budget is for the up keep of the garden at the residence of  (a) the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland and  (b) the Commander in Chief Land.

Derek Twigg: The main element of expenditure in relation to garden maintenance at official service residences relates to salary costs, and I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 May 2007,  Official Report, column 629W.
	Any additional expenditure on garden maintenance is usually very modest and is not identified separately in forward budgets.

Armed Forces: Housing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the  (a) availability and  (b) adequacy of accommodation for phase 3 of the Army Recruiting and Training Division draft Management Plan 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Army Recruiting and Training Division (ARTD) maintains a running assessment of the volume, standard and availability of its accommodation. Based on current, predicted patterns of attendance, this is assessed to be sufficient to deliver phase 3 training in financial year 2007-08. Army accommodation, including that in ARTD, is subject to ongoing upgrade programmes.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was charged for damages to occupants of Modern Housing Solutions housing in each financial year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: Modern Housing Solutions has been responsible for maintenance of service families accommodation in England and Wales only since 2006.
	Relevant records of charges since 1997 are not held centrally and service housing has been subject to changes of organisation. It will take a little time to determine what details are available and in what form. Once our inquiries are complete, I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Occupant's Handbook will be made available to occupants of Modern Housing Solutions housing.

Derek Twigg: It is planned that the Occupant's Handbook will be issued to occupants of Service Families Accommodation (SFA) worldwide during the summer. It applies to all occupants of SFA and is not limited to those properties maintained in England and Wales by Modern Housing Solutions.

Armed Forces: Officers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) name and  (b) rank was of each senior British military representative to CENTCOM of the United States between 2001 and 2006; how long each person served in that capacity; what subsequent positions in the British military establishment each has taken up; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The following table shows the name and rank of the officers who have undertaken the role of senior British representative to CENTCOM of the United States between 2001 and 2006, and how long each person served in that capacity:
	
		
			  (a) Name  (b) Rank as Senior British Representative to CENTCOM  (c) Period of Service  (d) Length of Tenure (months) 
			 Sir Jock Stirrup GCB AFC ADC FRAeS FCMI Air Marshal September 2001 to May 2002 9 
			 Sir Cedric Delves KBE DSO Lieutenant General May 2002 to October 2002 6 
			 David Wilson CB CBE Major General October 2002 to October 2003 12 
			 Mike Heath CBE FRAeS Air Vice-Marshal October 2003 to August 2005 22 
			 Jonathon Riley DSO Major General August 2005 to August 2007 24 
		
	
	The following table shows the subsequent positions in the British military establishment that senior British representatives to CENTCOM of the United States between 2001 and 2006 have taken up:
	
		
			  (a) Name  (b) Subsequent military positions 
			 Sir Jock Stirrup GCB AFC ADC FRAes FCMI Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Equipment Capability) (May 2002 to July 2003) 
			  Chief of The Air Staff (July 2003 to April 2006) 
			  Chief of Defence Staff (April 2006 to present) 
			   
			 Sir Cedric Delves KBE DSO Commander Field Army (October 2002 to September 2003) 
			  Deputy Commander in Chief NATO Headquarters Armed Forces North (September 2003 to December 2003). Medically discharged following a serious road traffic accident December 2003 
			   
			 David Wilson CB CBE Commander United Kingdom Amphibious Forces (October 2003 to August 2004) 
			  Commandant General Royal Marines (Titular Role) (February 2004 to August 2004) Retired August 2004 
			   
			 Mike Heath CBE FRAeS Special Adviser to CENTCOM (August 2005 to Present)

Armed Forces: Pay

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints from  (a) RAF,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Army personnel the Armed Forces Joint Personnel Administration Agency's internal complaints system received in each month in 2007 on mispayment under the system; and how many (i) are still outstanding and (ii) have been resolved.

Derek Twigg: As at 24 May 2007, the number of complaints received from service personnel via the centralised JPA complaints process about mispayments, and other apparent problems with pay or the handling of a query, were as follows:
	
		
			  Royal Air Force 
			   Received  Outstanding  Resolved 
			 January 67 2 65 
			 February 61 3 58 
			 March 60 4 56 
			 April 38 4 34 
			 May 30 22 8 
		
	
	
		
			  Royal Navy 
			   Received  Outstanding  Resolved 
			 January 37 1 36 
			 February 25 3 22 
			 March 35 4 31 
			 April 20 6 14 
			 May 31 23 8 
		
	
	
		
			  Army 
			   Received  Outstanding  Resolved 
			 January 3 0 3 
			 February 3 0 3 
			 March 3 0 3 
			 April 15 4 11 
			 May 31 22 9

Armed Forces: Pensions

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what records his Department holds on  (a) the number of personnel (i) serving and (ii) serving less than 22 years in the (A) Army, (B) Royal Navy and (C) Royal Air Force between 1949 and 1975 and  (b) the amount of the gratuity paid to ex-service personnel who did not serve 22 years during that period.

Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reasons are for the policy on the payment of a pension to a former spouse of a retired member of the armed forces under 65 years.

Derek Twigg: Pension sharing was introduced by the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999. The legislation is the responsibility of the Department for Work and Pensions. Under the provisions of the Act, it is possible to share the value of a pension between both parties as part of a financial settlement on divorce. The Act stipulates pension credit benefit (the income from the share of the value of the member's pension awarded to the former spouse) is not payable in an occupational pension scheme before 'normal benefit age'. The legislation prescribes that normal benefit age under a scheme must be between 60 and 65.
	The MOD applies this principle to the Armed Forces Pension Schemes and under a Pension Sharing Order the ex-spouse is generally treated in the same way as a member who leaves with a preserved pension. Prior to 6 April 2006, personnel in the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975 (AFPS 75) who left before the immediate pension point, having completed at least two years reckonable service, had their benefits preserved to age 60. From April 2006, the preserved pension age was changed to 65 to take account of the impact of longevity and the age at which an ex-spouse could receive their pension share also rose to age 65.
	For the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (AFPS 05) the preserved pension age and the age at which pension shares become payable has been 65 since the scheme's introduction on 6 April 2005.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were recruited to  (a) Phase One,  (b) Phase Two and  (c) Phase Three under the Army Recruiting and Training Division Statement of Training Requirement draft Man Plan in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The available information is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Input to phase  1  Input to phase  2  Output from phase  3 
			 2002-03 15,180 9,190 n/a 
			 2003-04 13,940 8,610 45,350 
			 2004-05 10,300 6,410 43,840 
			 2005-06 8,950 6,540 45,860 
			 2006-07 13,080 6,520 50,690 
			 n/a = Not available. 
		
	
	Data is not held centrally on those entering phase 3 training, only on those completing phase 3 training.
	Statistics have been rounded to the nearest 10, the numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of those due to report for Army Recruiting and Training Division courses at the Infantry Battle School in Brecon failed to do so in the last period for which figures are available; for what reasons officers failed to report for this training; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Course attendance at the Infantry Battle School, Brecon in 2006-07 
			  Course  Course capacity  Number loaded on to course  Number of non-attendees  Non-attendees as percentage of those loaded  Attendance as percentage of capacity 
			 Section Commander's Battle Course 960 990 126 13 90 
			 Platoon Sergeant's Battle Course 540 603 55 10 101 
			 Platoon Commander's Battle Course 240 220 10 4 88 
			  Notes: 1. The number loaded onto any course may be higher than the course capacity to allow for circumstances that might prevent an individual attending. These reasons will include such things as illness, injury and operational deployments. 2. Courses are run in two phases, and the numbers shown are the total for both phases. 
		
	
	Information on the reasons for non-attendance is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Resignations

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel in the  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force have served less than (a) nine years as an officer and (b) 12 years at any other rank.

Derek Twigg: The information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  At 1 October 2006 
			  UK  regular f orces only( 1)  Army  Royal Navy( 2)  Royal Air Force 
			 Officers with less than nine years service 8,390 3,500 4,410 
			 Other ranks with less than 12 years service 66,680 19,450 20,110 
			 (1) UK regular forces exclude full-time reserve service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists and naval activated reservists. It includes both trained and untrained personnel.  (2) Royal Navy includes Royal Marines.   Note:  The figures above are calculated by taking the difference between 1 October 2006 and date of intake and may therefore not account for periods of former service. This could include service prior to re-enlistment, service prior to transfer between services or service prior to transferring from non-commissioned to commissioned.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Peace Keeping Operations

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many instances of armoured vehicle breakdown there have been in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan in the last six months, broken down by vehicle type.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 May 2007
	 Information is not recorded in this format. Records of vehicle availability are collated to allow for more efficient fleet management. This provides a clearer picture for commanders on the ground of the assets at their disposal. I am withholding further details as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces.

Army Costs

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1851W, on army costs, for what purpose the chicken wire was erected at the residence of the Adjutant General.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 14 May 2007
	The chicken wire was used to reinforce existing fencing to prevent persistent damage to the garden by local wildlife, including the consumption of vegetable crops.

Army Costs

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1851W, on army costs, for what purpose the supa-stadia pitch marker was purchased for the residence of the Adjutant General.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 14 May 2007
	The pitch marker paint was purchased, at a cost of 17, to mark the white lines on the tennis court at the residence occupied by the Adjutant General. It is only the second purchase of pitch marker paint in the last 14 years.

Army: Greater London

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) members of the armed forces and  (b) non-armed forces staff are assigned to the household of the General Officer Commanding London District.

Derek Twigg: The staff assigned to the household of the General Officer Commanding London District are listed in the following able.
	
		
			  Number  Role  Rank 
			 1 House Sergeant Sergeant 
			 1 Catering/Chef Civilian 
			 2 Cleaning Assistant Civilian 
		
	
	The above figures do not include drivers or any other position related staff.

Army: Greater London

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 843W, on Army: Greater London, how much the General Officer Commanding London District is required to contribute to the running costs of the house provided to him.

Derek Twigg: The General Office Commanding London District, in common with all military personnel living in service accommodation, is charged a daily rate for his accommodation. This is a scaled rate, which is reviewed annually by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body, and is based on the type and grade of accommodation and whether it is fully, partially, or unfurnished.
	The MOD paid 15,443 in rent during financial year 2005-06 for the property which the General Office Commanding London District currently occupies. During that period the General Officer Commanding's accommodation charge amounted to a total of 5,726.

BAE Systems

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Alan Garwood notified his Department that he was joining BAE Systems on leaving the Defence Export Services Organisation.

Adam Ingram: Alan Garwood has been on secondment with the Ministry of Defence from BAE Systems and it was always expected that he would return to his employer on leaving the post of Head of Defence Export Services.

Defence Equipment: Training

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints were registered in each of the last five years about equipment during training exercises.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 May 2007
	The MOD greatly values and actively encourages feedback from personnel on how equipment is performing, so that lessons can be learnt and improvements made where a need is identified. There are a number of ways available for members of the armed forces to raise issues, faults and suggestions for improvement to equipment, but there is no requirement to collate and hold such information centrally.
	Data are, however, held on equipment failure reports (EFRs) and this, for equipment on training exercises in each of the last five years, is shown in the following table. EFRs are however not technically complaints; they are the reporting mechanism used by units for routine equipment support issues. The data do not account for the results of subsequent investigations and therefore do not differentiate what has subsequently been found to be an equipment failure and operator error or damage sustained as a result of an accident. Nor do those data give the severity of any such failures, which in many cases have no discernable impact on operational capability or safety.
	Moreover, these figures cover almost 800 different types of equipment, ranging from Challenger2 tanks down to wrist watches, and need to be viewed in the context of the huge volume of equipment used annually on training exercises.
	
		
			   Number of EFRs 
			 2002 2,369 
			 2003 1,342 
			 2004 2,749 
			 2005 1,989 
			 2006 1,952

Defence Export Services: Public Appointments

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the post of Head of Defence Export Services was advertised; and in what publications.

Adam Ingram: The post of Head of Defence Export Services has yet to be advertised, but when it is, it will feature in at least one national newspaper and appear on the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway.

Defence Export Services: Public Appointments

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who is on the selection panel that will appoint the new Head of Defence Export Services.

Adam Ingram: Membership of the selection panel has not yet been settled, but it is likely to be chaired by a Civil Service Commissioner.

Defence Export Services: Public Appointments

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be able to announce the appointment of the new Head of Defence Export Services.

Adam Ingram: The process to find a successor to Alan Garwood as Head of Defence Export Services is expected to take between three and six months. The outcome will be announced as soon as it has been concluded.

Departments: Computers

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) instructions are issued to staff in his Department and  (b) technical procedures are in place to shut down computers at night.

Derek Twigg: Like all central Government Departments, the Ministry of Defence is focusing on meeting the targets on sustainable operations on the Government Estate (SOGE), including reducing carbon emissions; improving energy efficiency; and specifying minimum standards for energy efficient computers and monitors.
	Since June 2006 in MOD main building users have been instructed to shut down their workstations at the end of work, rather than logging off, and a facility has been added to workstations which allows them to be powered up remotely, out-of-hours, for software upgrades, if required. These procedures are being extended across all MOD sites as hardware and software improvements are implemented.

Departments: ICT

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14th May 2007,  Official Report, column 514W, on Departments: ICT, whether the identified overseas design solution for the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) system has been  (a) accredited and  (b) implemented overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The security requirements for DII(F) have been defined and DII(F) complies with them. Accreditation of DII(F) at overseas locations will be confirmed on a site-by-site basis. The roll-out of the DII(F) programme is progressing satisfactorily, and the provision to overseas locations is part of that programme.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: Specific data on the total expenditure by the MOD on legal fees in each of the last five years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff funded by the public purse in his Department are classified as people without posts.

Derek Twigg: The information is not held centrally and could be provided at only disproportionate cost.

Departments: Property

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) RFA Oakleaf,  (b) RFA Brambleleaf and  (c) RFA Fort Victoria are to be disposed of before the end of 2007.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 May 2007
	Current plans are to dispose of RFA Oakleaf and RFA Brambleleaf before the end of 2007, and to dispose of RFA Fort Victoria in 2019.

Departments: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department on public relations in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence engages in a range of public relations activities in order that the work of the MOD and armed forces is communicated to the general public. While the MOD, its agencies and the services employ full-time and part-time communications staff, and on occasion engage external PR consultancies to assist them, the Department does not centrally record overall expenditure on public relations. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Rating (Empty Properties) Bill 2006-07

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the financial and other consequences of the likely effect of the Rating (Empty Properties) Bill on his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Without knowledge of the detailed regulations that are to follow, it is too early to say what effect the legislation will have.

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department and its agencies paid to recruitment consultants in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: Summaries of the Department's spend on external assistance are available in the Library of the House. Recruitment consultancy, an element of external assistance, is broken out separately in these reports for the years 2000-01 to 2005-06.
	Although the Department collected external assistance expenditure figures before 2000, recruitment consultancy was not reported as a separate category. The requested information for the years 1997-98 to 1999-2000 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ex-servicemen: Council Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice his Department gives to members of HM Armed Forces who resign on their right to apply for local authority housing accommodation.

Derek Twigg: All regular service leavers, not just those who resign, are provided with information on sources of housing help in their leaving information packs which are usually issued nine months before discharge. A Life Skills Guide which is available on the internet also advises how to apply for local authority housing, and provides details of useful websites and agencies.
	Early service leavers attend a mandatory briefing on resettlement issues and an interview in which their personal resettlement plan is developed and their accommodation arrangements reviewed. The resettlement officer makes an assessment of the leaver's vulnerability to social exclusion and, if appropriate, offers to arrange extra specialist help or advice.
	The Joint Services Housing Advice Office (JSHAO) provides a dedicated MOD focal point for housing information and advice for those about to return to civilian life. The JSHAO gives regular nationwide briefings advising personnel of their housing options. Each service also has resettlement specialist officers who are available to give advice to service personnel at any time during their careers.

Ex-servicemen: Health Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1853W, on ex-servicemen: health services, how many cases the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency is currently monitoring.

Derek Twigg: Regular reminders about priority treatment for war pensioners are circulated by the health services to senior NHS managers who are tasked to ensure that relevant clinical staff are aware. The provision is subject to the NHS complaints procedure but there is no formal system of audit. From April 2007, the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) will keep a record of cases where war pensioners raise priority treatment issues with MOD or SPVA. No cases are currently being monitored.

Gulf War Syndrome

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on Gulf war syndrome and its effects on Gulf war veterans; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: We are open to undertaking new research where, in the opinion of the independent experts at the Medical Research Council (MRC), it is justified. A research proposal to develop and prove rehabilitative therapies designed to improve the long-term health of Gulf veterans with persistent symptoms is with the MRC for initial assessment. In addition, we are working with the MRC on the possibility of research into paraoxanasethe enzyme involved in metabolising organophosphates. If work in either area produces a viable proposal which the MRC considers would have merit then we will fund this.
	There are many research studies into the illnesses affecting veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf conflict; most of these are published in scientific or medical journals to allow peer-review and they are usually available on the world wide web. We monitor research undertaken in the UK and by other countries, in particular the United States where we have a British liaison officer based permanently in Washington DC; he is tasked both with ensuring that the UK has full visibility of US research into Gulf veterans illnesses and with providing a channel for communicating our own work to interested US parties.

Gurkhas: Pensions

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has in respect of the provision of  (a) pension entitlements and  (b) other benefits entitlements to Gurkha soldiers who retired from active service in the UK armed forces more than 10 years ago.

Derek Twigg: It is not planned to review the position of those ex-Gurkha service pensioners who retired before 1 July 1997. They were discharged with an expectation of retirement in Nepal and will continue to receive benefits under the Gurkha pension scheme. These are uplifted annually for inflation in Nepal and are periodically reviewed in line with the Indian Pay Commission.

Iran

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the UK's military position on Iran.

Des Browne: As this House is aware, we have been reviewing our overall bilateral policy towards Iran in the light of the recent detention of naval personnel and given the continued concerns that the international community has over the behaviour of the Iranian regime. We continue to stand by the principles which underpin our policy: we are committed to engagement, through diplomacy and dialogue, to encourage Iran to play a constructive role on the international stage; at the same time, we will work with international partners to maintain a strong line against unacceptable Iranian behaviour, including its nuclear ambitions and its support for terrorism and violence in the region.

Iraq Conflict

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of the production of aide memoire cards on combat identification for Operation Telic.

Adam Ingram: The aide memoire cards produced for Operation Telic in early 2003 were produced using an in-house printing facility at an estimated cost of between 150 and 200.

Iraq: Basra Airport

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Main Estimates 2007-08 (HC 438), if he will place in the Library a copy of the undertakings given to the Iraqi Ministry of Transport in relation to the provision of his Department's support services for the opening of Basra airport.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 May 2007
	The UK contingent of the Multinational Force in Iraq signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Iraqi Ministry of Transport in December 2006, covering the services to be provided by each party towards the ongoing commercial operation of Basra international airport.
	We will make public the text of this MOU subject to obtaining the consent of the Iraqi Government as the co-signatory. I will write to the hon. Member to inform him of their decision and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq: Armed Forces

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice Ministers, military personnel and civil servants in his Department gave to their counterparts in the United States prior to the disbandment of the Iraqi army and the de-Ba'athification programme in May 2003.

Des Browne: I have nothing further to add to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Dr. Howells) gave on 18 May 2007,  Official Report, column 973W.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 8 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 63-64W, on Iraq: peacekeeping operations, if he will break down the number of attacks in each province by month.

Des Browne: The number of attacks in each province by month is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Province  Month  Attacks on MNF 
			 Al Muthanna June 2006 3 
			  July 2006 10 
			  August 2006 7 
			  September 2006 1 
			  October 2006 3 
			  November 2006 1 
			  December 2006 0 
			  January 2007 0 
			  February 2007 0 
			  March 2007 0 
			  April 2007 0 
			
			 Basra June 2006 41 
			  July 2006 92 
			  August 2006 80 
			  September 2006 121 
			  October 2006 172 
			  November 2006 177 
			  December 2006 257 
			  January 2007 227 
			  February 2007 334 
			  March 2007 243 
			  April 2007 93 
			
			 Dhi Qar June 2006 2 
			  July 2006 2 
			  August 2006 8 
			  September 2006 4 
			  October 2006 3 
			  November 2006 3 
			  December 2006 2 
			  January 2007 1 
			  February 2007 2 
			  March 2007 4 
			  April 2007 5 
			
			 Maysan June 2006 18 
			  July 2006 18 
			  August 2006 21 
			  September 2006 2 
			  October 2006 4 
			  November 2006 3 
			  December 2006 1 
			  January 2007 3 
			  February 2007 4 
			  March 2007 1 
			  April 2007 1 
		
	
	The figures for the period between 1 June 2006 and 14 April 2007 includes incidents that involved some use of improvised explosive devices, rockets, mortars, rocket propelled grenades, grenades, small arms or other weapons such as petrol bombs or knives, but not the throwing of stones. Each record is not specifically verified and so cannot be guaranteed to be completely accurate.
	The table does not convey the significance of each individual incident, which may range from a single shot fired at safe range through to complex improvised explosive device attacks.
	The overall level of attacks in Basra province increased up until February 2007; this reflects the increased operational tempo which included Operation SINBAD and targeted search and detention operations. The increased MNF presence in and around the city and direct confrontation with militia contributed to the higher levels of attack.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Robert Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice and assistance is planned to be made available for soldiers of the 2nd Battalion the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment on their return from their tour of duty in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 May 2007
	The 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Borders) (2 LANCS) have had a demanding tour of duty in Iraq. The support that members of the Battalion will receive will reflect this, and will be in line with that which is available to all units returning from operations. This support is designed specifically to help individuals deal with their experiences and to enable them to make the transition back to a normal pattern of life as smoothly as possible.
	Immediately prior to their return to the United Kingdom, members of the Battalion will undergo a decompression period. This will be a time for relaxation with comrades in a controlled and monitored environment. Briefings on coping with stress and dealing with issues that might arise on homecoming will also be available. A community psychiatric nurse and Padre will also be available throughout this period.
	On return to the United Kingdom, there will be a period of normalisation within barracks and with families. This will include events such as social functions, sports events, health awareness briefings, Commander's Welfare Seminar and a medals parade. The Battalion will then depart on Post Operational Tour Leave (POTL). On return from POTL further briefings on the effects of stress, how to recognise them and how to deal with them will be provided.
	It is the chain of command's responsibility to identify and monitor those vulnerable to any form of post-operational stress, or stress related condition. Individuals who appear to be suffering from stress related conditions will be referred to the Army medical services for assessment and support where necessary. Army welfare support will also be available.

Iraq-Kuwait Conflict: Depleted Uranium

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the number of British Gulf War I veterans who have been tested for contamination by depleted uranium; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Under the screening programme overseen by the Depleted Uranium Oversight Board (DUOB), a total of 362 veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf Conflict were tested for the presence of depleted uranium in their urine. Under the separate and ongoing Ministry of Defence biological monitoring programme for service personnel during the current Iraq deployment (Operation Telic), five of the 390 service personnel tested are also veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf conflict. No evidence of the excretion of depleted uranium was found in the urine of tested UK personnel apart from a small number who were involved in blue-on-blue incidents (during Operation Telic) and have embedded depleted uranium shrapnel. I announced in my written ministerial statement on 26 March 2007,  Official Report, column 64WS, that the final report of the DUOB was available. It can be accessed on the DUOB website at:
	www.duob.org.uk.

Ministry of Defence and Department of Health Partnership Board

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Ministry of Defence and Department of Health Partnership Board was set up; how many times it has met; and if he will place in the Library the minutes of its meetings.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence and Department of Health Partnership Board first met on 8 April 2003. It convenes approximately three times a year, and to date, there have been a total of 12 meetings. We intend to publish the minutes of all Partnership Board meetings under the MOD's freedom of information publication scheme.

Navy: Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the budget was for the Fishery Protection Squadron in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many personnel there were in the Fishery Protection Squadron in each year since 1997; and how many vessels were used by the Squadron in each year, broken down by type of vessel;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the Fishery Protection Squadron; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many patrol days were provided by the Fishery Protection Squadron in each year since 1997;
	(5)  how many boardings were conducted by the Fishery Protection Squadron in each year since 1997 of  (a) UK vessels and  (b) non-UK vessels, broken down by country; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  how many written warnings were issued by the Fishery Protection Squadron in each year since 1997 to  (a) UK vessels and  (b) non-UK vessels, broken down by country; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  how many verbal re-briefs were issued by the Fishery Protection Squadron in each year since 1997 to  (a) UK vessels and  (b) non-UK vessels, broken down by country; and if he will make a statement;
	(8)  how many fishing vessels were detained by the Fishery Protection Squadron in each year since 1997; how many such vessels were  (a) UK vessels and  (b) non-UK vessels, broken down by country; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally and will take time to collate. When this has been completed I will write the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

RAF St Athan

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made on agreements between his Department, Metrix and the National Assembly for Wales in relation to  (a) the final package of proposals for the St. Athan site and  (b) a date for the submission of a planning application for the Defence Training Establishment; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: An announcement was made in January this year by the Secretary-of State that the Metrix consortium had been selected as preferred bidder for package one and provisional preferred bidder for package two for the Defence Training Review Programme. Since the announcement work has focused on developing a whole programme solution (WPS). Good progress has been made and negotiations with Metrix are ongoing. As part of this work the Department is working with officials of the Welsh Assembly Government to confirm the most suitable master plan for the St. Athan site. However, until this work is concluded a date for submission of a planning application for the Defence Training Establishment cannot be finalised. An announcement on a WPS, however, is expected to be made later this year.

RFA Fort Victoria

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when RFA Fort Victoria will be rejoining the fleet.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 May 2007
	RFA Fort Victoria has not left the fleet. She remains within the fleet operational cycle.

Territorial Waters: Iran

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the two inquiries he initiated on 16 April following the seizure of Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel by the Iranian authorities on 23 March have been completed.

Des Browne: Lieutenant-General Fulton has completed his report into the operational issues and has presented it to the Chief of the Defence Staff, who is considering it. The review into media access being led by Tony Hall is due to be completed shortly.
	I expect an announcement on both to be made to Parliament later this month.

War Pensions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to estimate the cost of re-linking war pensions with earnings.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 113W. Historically, the MOD has applied the same uprating principle for war pensions as used by the Department for Work and Pensions to increase state pensions. Since 1979 this has been to use the retail price index (RPI). On current plans we intend to follow the position set out in the White Paper 'Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system', which states that the earnings link will be restored to the basic state pension. The objective is that this will be done, subject to affordability and the fiscal position, in 2012 but in any event at the latest by the end of the next parliament.

Written Questions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to question 136394, on Land Rovers, tabled by the hon. Member for Cotswold on 2 May.

Des Browne: I replied to the hon. Member on 24 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1375W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Arson

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of total insured fire losses arson accounted for in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available centrally. The Department's economic cost of fire model uses information on total insured fire losses provided by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). ABI data distinguish between domestic and commercial fire losses, but do not differentiate between arson and non-arson fires. The cost of fire model uses the proportion of fires that are due to arson to estimate the percentage of insured losses that are due to arson.

Arson

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of how much arson cost the economy in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Estimates for the cost of arson to the economy for the five years to 2004 are shown as follows. 2004 is the last year for which estimates are available. Around 40 per cent. of the estimated costs are due to measures taken in anticipation of arson fires, such as installing fire prevention measures.
	
		
			  Total cost of deliberate fires, England and Wales, 2000-04 
			   million 
			   Total cost (including costs in anticipation)  Total cost (excluding costs in anticipation) 
			 2000 2,155 l,289 
			 2001 2,442 l,513 
			 2002 2,581 l,587 
			 2003 2,768 1,694 
			 2004 2,445 l,366 
			  Source: Communities and Local Government Economic cost of fire model

Arson: Death

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were  (a) injured and  (b) killed as a result of arson in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is provided as follows.
	
		
			  Fatal and non-fatal casualties as a result of deliberate fires, England, 2001-05 
			   Fatalities  Non-fatal casualties 
			 2001 67 2,763 
			 2002 90 2,626 
			 2003 98 2,514 
			 2004 78 2,196 
			 2005 93 2,186 
			  Note: Excludes casualties not recorded during periods of industrial action in 2002 and 2003.  Source: Fire and Rescue Service returns to Communities and Local Government.

Arson: Motor Vehicles

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many car fires were started maliciously in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Deliberate primary car fires, England, 2001-05 
			   Number 
			 2001 59,154 
			 2002 58,180 
			 2003 52,841 
			 2004 39,582 
			 2005 33,090 
			  Note:  Figures are based on sampled data grossed to fire and rescue service totals and exclude any fires in November 2002 and January-February 2003 strike periods.   Source:  Fire and Rescue Service returns to Communities and Local Government.

Arson: Schools

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many school fires were started maliciously in Cornwall in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			  Deliberate primary fires in schools, Cornwall, 2001-05 
			   Number 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 6 
			 2004 7 
			 2005 1 
			  Notes:  Figures are based on sampled data grossed to fire and rescue service totals and exclude any fires in November 2002 and January-February 2003 strike periods.   Source:  Fire and Rescue Service returns to Communities and Local Government.

Combined Heat and Power: Schools

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills of 10 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 365-6W, on schools: combined heat and power, if she will take steps to encourage more local planning authorities to require the installation of renewable energy facilities in new schools to supply a proportion of the building's energy load.

Yvette Cooper: The written ministerial statement of 8 June 2006 about the Government's planning policies for renewable energy (PPS22) encouraged local planning authorities to take a positive approach to securing on-site renewables in new developments. In doing so, it was made clear that all planning authorities are expected to include policies in their development plans that require a percentage of the energy in new developments to come from on-site renewables where it is viable. Officials sent a copy of the written ministerial statement to all English planning authorities.
	We have also recently consulted on a draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS) Planning and Climate Change. This sets out our proposals on how planning should make a full contribution to reducing emissions and stabilising climate change. These include giving greater emphasis to local renewable and low carbon sources for supplying the energy needs of new developments, including new schools.

Council Housing: Middlesbrough

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in  (a) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland and  (b) (i) Middlesbrough and (ii) Redcar and Cleveland council areas are on waiting lists for council housing.

Yvette Cooper: The constituency of Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland covers a large proportion of the Redcar and Cleveland and Middlesbrough council areas. Information is not collected at the constituency level, only at local authority level and includes households rather than people.
	The number of households on the waiting list for social housing in  (b) (i) Middlesbrough and (ii) Redcar and Cleveland, as at 1 April each year, is published on the Communities and Local Government website in table 600. The links for this table is given as follows, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=1163853
	Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move houseparticularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time.

Council Housing: Sales

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of the sale price of council houses in  (a) Swindon and  (b) England was spent on social housing in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: On disposal of a council house, for instance through the right to buy, 75 per cent. of the capital receipt is recycled for investment and the local authority is free to use the remaining 25 per cent. for any capital purpose it sees fit.
	Capital investment in social housing for the last five years has been greater than the value of recycled capital receipts generated by the sale of council housing, in Swindon and nationally. Since 1997 the Government have consistently invested more in housing than they have received in receipts.
	Until 2004-05 the mechanism for recycling of housing capital receipts for with-debt authorities (such as Swindon) was for the authority to set-aside 75 per cent. of the capital receipt for repayment of debt. Less debt meant less debt for Government to subsidise, allowing that saved resource to be directed to support new investment where the need was greatest. On 1 April 2004 the introduction of the 'Prudential regime' abolished set-aside and pooling became the mechanism for the recycling of housing receipts for investment.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the total administrative cost of the council tax revaluation in England, including valuations and appeals.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government (Mr. Woolas) to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell) on 29 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1729W.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many domestic properties in  (a) Solihull,  (b) Birmingham and  (c) England are classified by the Valuation Office Agency with the Value Significance feature code of OS.

Phil Woolas: As at 3 March 2007 the numbers were 0 in Solihull, six in Birmingham and 3,944 in England.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by her Department on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Expenditure on external legal advice commissioned through the legal directorate of the Department for Communities and Local Government, and the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, is set out in the following table. Records of any other expenditure on legal fees, including those incurred by other predecessor departments, are not held centrally and to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Legal Fees 
			
			 2006-07 108,000 
			 2005-06 85,000 
			 2004-05 108,000 
			 2003-04 102,000 
			 2002-03 87,000

Departments: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of her Department's special advisers were on  (a) paid and  (b) unpaid leave in order to assist with party political matters under section 22 (iii) of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers on 16 May 2007; and how many days' leave each adviser was granted.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government's special advisers' involvement in party political matters is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, including section 22 (iii), and the guidance issued by the Cabinet Secretary in December 2006 and May 2007, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House. No special adviser took leave on 16 May 2007.

Departments: Publicity

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which  (a) advertising agencies and  (b) other organisations supplied consultancy services for advertising campaigns for (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies in each of the last five years; and what the cost of these services was.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006. Under the terms of the Department's framework agreement for the supply of advertising services, Communities and Local Government does not commission consultancy services from advertising agencies.
	Wider consulting projects with other organisations may influence some advertising campaigns, but it is not possible to separate out the costs which apply to advertising. COI Strategic Consultancy is the only organisation to have directly provided consultancy services to the Department for advertising campaigns. The cost of these services in the Financial Year 2006-07 was 47,298. COI Strategic Consultancy has not done any work for the Department this financial year.
	Figures for the Department's agencies are not held centrally and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Disadvantaged: ICT

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what criteria she uses to determine membership of the Digital Challenge Inclusion network;
	(2)  what funding will be available for the Digital Challenge Inclusion network in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09;
	(3)  what further projects are planned by councils to increase digital inclusion by those councils who were runners up in the Digital Challenge bid;
	(4)  whether she plans a further round of Digital Challenge funding.

Angela Smith: A 2 million Digital Inclusion Fund was announced to support the Digital Challenge 10 finalists, in addition to the award to the Digital Challenge winner. There is no separate funding to support the Digital Challenge Inclusion Network and there are no specific criteria to determine the membership of the Digital Inclusion Network. It is established as an open forum for dialogue and discussion to all sectors and individuals interested in tackling social exclusion through digital inclusion.
	The Digital Challenge runners-up are developing a range of themed projects to increase digital inclusion in their authorities and regions. The current draft themes include Flexible Working for Social Inclusion around the Homeshoring concept; the Digital Environment focussing specifically on ICT, climate change and inclusion; Independent Living and Healthy Living; Digital TV and Digital Switchover; and Community engagement and delivery of LSP targets. There are no current plans for a further round of Digital Challenge funding.

Electric Cables: Planning Permission

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to issue planning guidance on  (a) the building of new homes and schools within 60 metres of high voltage power lines and  (b) the building of new power lines within 60 metres of homes.

Meg Munn: Government have sought advice from the Health Protection Agency on the recently published report by the Stakeholder Advisory Group on Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields. Government are considering the implications of the report's conclusions and recommendations and will respond in due course.

European Regional Development Fund

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what projects will be affected by the suspension by the European Commission of payments under the European Regional Development Fund to  (a) London,  (b) the North West,  (c) the North East,  (d) the West Midlands,  (e) Humberside, Yorkshire and  (f) the East of England.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 8 May 2007
	No projects should be affected by the EC decision to postpone reimbursement of expenditure on the ERDF 2000-06 programmes because the Government will continue to honour commitments to projects and they will continue to be paid where they make claims for eligible expenditure.

Homebuy Scheme

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social tenants have access to the Social Homebuy scheme.

Yvette Cooper: The Social Homebuy pilot enables tenants of participating local authorities and housing associations to purchase a share in their rented home at a discount. Four housing associations and one local authority began offering Social Homebuy initially and a further 74 housing associations and five local authorities are now joining the pilot. Some landlords are offering the scheme widely across their stock. Others are targeting specific estates, locations or local authority areas. We estimate that the pilot scheme will be available this year across 5 per cent. of social stock.

Homelessness

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were classified as falling into the category used in the Answer of 13 December 2002,  Official Report, column 702W, homeless households accepted as eligible, unintentionally homeless and in priority need by local authorities in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected in respect of households rather than persons. The number of households accepted by local authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed the main homelessness duty, is published in our quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, which is placed in the Library each quarter, and is also available on our website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1002882PressNoticeID=2369
	The number of homeless acceptances for the last five years can be found in Table 1 (note that the acceptance figures provided in the Answer of 13 December 2002 have since been revised).
	The duty owed to a household accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.

Homelessness: Ex-servicemen

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department issues to local authorities on the homeless status of members of HM Armed Forces who resign; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities (published in July 2006) contains guidance on the circumstances in which people leaving the armed forces would have a priority need for accommodation.

Housing

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new  (a) local authority and  (b) housing association properties were (i) started and (ii) completed in 2005-06, broken down by local authority.

Yvette Cooper: The numbers of local authority and registered social landlord affordable homes completed in 2005-06 by local authority have been tabulated and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House. This includes new build and acquisitions. Information on the number of affordable homes started in 2005-06 is not held centrally.
	Information on starts and completions is limited to social rent only and can be found on the Communities and Local Government web site:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/66/Table253Excel860Kb_id1156066.xls
	This information comes from building control inspections and may underestimate the number of social rent dwellings provided since tenure may be unknown at that time.

Housing

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) social rented and  (b) shared ownership houses were built in (i) rural and (ii) non-rural areas in each year since 1990; what each figure represents (A) per 1,000 population and (B) per 1,000 households; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The numbers of additional social rent and low cost home ownership homes provided in local authorities classified as either urban or rural are shown in the following table. For 2006-07 provisional figures indicate that around 25,000 social rented homes were provided and 19,500 low cost home ownership homes. For 2007-08 we are currently estimating that 30,000 social rented homes will be provided and around 25,000 low cost home ownership. The table includes homes provided through both new build and acquisitions.
	
		
			  Social rent and low cost home ownership homes provided in urban and rural local authority areas( 1) : England 
			  1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 
			 Social rent homes provided(2) 
			 Urban 13,106 36,881 31,598 34,464 37,172 27,940 23,040 21,825 18,458 
			 Rural 4,364 15,620 14,120 14,927 16,817 13,463 11,970 11,547 10,170 
			 Unknown local authority(4) 8,235 4,522 3,223 2,799 2,960 1,062 770 188 64 
			 Total 25,705 57,023 48,941 52,190 56,949 42,465 35,780 33,560 28,692 
			   
			 Social rent homes provided per 1,000 population(3) 
			 Urban0.70 0.59 
			 Rural0.65 0.57 
			 Total 0.54 1.19 1.02 1.08 1.18 0.88 0.74 0.69 0.59 
			   
			 Social rent homes provided per 1,000 households(3) 
			 Urban1.72 1.45 
			 Rural1.59 1.39 
			 Total 1.34 2.96 2.52 2.68 2.90 2.15 1.81 1.68 1.43 
			   
			 Low cost home ownership homes provided 
			 Urban 3,256 6,662 10,877 11,526 12,588 10,155 8,245 6,638 3,712 
			 Rural 574 1,711 3,080 3,660 4,462 3,730 3,103 2,114 1,302 
			 Unknown local authority 139 325 838 3,014 531 156 141 0 12 
			 Total 3,969 8,698 14,795 18,200 17,581 14,041 11,489 8,752 5,026 
			 Low cost home ownership homes provided per 1,000 population(3) 
			 Urban  0.33 0.27 0.21 0.12 
			 Rural  0.21 0.18 0.12 0.07 
			 Total 0.08 0.18 0.31 0.38 0.36 0.29 0.24 0.18 0.10 
			   
			 Low cost home ownership homes provided per 1,000 households(3) 
			 Urban  0.81 0.65 0.52 0.29 
			 Rural  0.52 0.43 0.29 0.18 
			 Total 0.21 0.45 0.76 0.93 0.90 0.71 0.58 0.44 0.25 
		
	
	
		
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Social rent homes provided(2) 
			 Urban 17,547 17,739 15,694 14,295 13,438 15,309 
			 Rural 9,491 9,027 8,235 7,979 7,544 8,027 
			 Unknown local authority(4) 32 7 0 387 35 13 
			 Total 27,070 26,773 23,929 22,661 21,017 23,349 
			
			 Social rent homes provided per 1,000 population(3) 
			 Urban 0.56 0.56 0.50  0.42 0.48 
			 Rural 0.53 0.50 0.46  0.41 0.44 
			 Total 0.55 0.54 0.48 0.45 0.42 0.46 
			
			 Social rent homes provided per 1,000 households(3) 
			 Urban 1.37 1.36 1.19  1.01 1.14 
			 Rural 1.28 1.21 1.09  0.98 1.03 
			 Total 1.34 1.30 1.15 1.08 1.00 1.10 
			
			 Low cost home ownership homes provided 
			 Urban 3,677 3,598 5,734 10,513 9,442 13,626 
			 Rural 1,409 1,682 2,400 3,606 4,028 6,211 
			 Unknown local authority 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 5,086 5,280 8,134 14,119 13,470 19,837 
			
			 Low cost home ownership homes provided per 1,000 population(3) 
			 Urban 0.12 0.11 0.18 0.33 0.30 0.43 
			 Rural 0.08 0.09 0.13 0.20 0.22 0.34 
			 Total 0.10 0.11 0.16 0.28 0.27 0.39 
			
			 Low cost home ownership homes provided per 1,000 households(3) 
			 Urban 0.29 0.28 0.44 0.79 0.71 1.01 
			 Rural 0.19 0.23 0.32 0.47 0.52 0.80 
			 Total 0.25 0.26 0.39 0.68 0.64 0.93 
			 (1) Based on the DEFRA Rural Definition (2004) (2) Includes new build and acquisitions. (3) Communities and Local Government 2003 based household and population estimates. (4) Where there are a significant number of homes provided but their exact location is unknown it is not possible to determine supply per 1,000 population or households.  Source: Housing Corporation, statistical returns from local authorities

Housing: Construction

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to issue guidance on red ash testing.

Angela Smith: The Department is expecting to issue guidance on sulphate bearing hardcores, which includes references to red ash, at the end of October 2007.

Housing: Eltham

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties in Eltham have been improved as a result of the Government's Decent Homes programme; and how much she estimates will have been spent when it is completed.

Yvette Cooper: We do not hold decency figures by parliamentary constituency but by local authority area and local authorities started reporting on decent homes in 2002.
	The council housing stock owned by the royal borough of Greenwich in 2006 was 25,007. Between 2002 and 2006 the number of non-decent council homes was reduced by 11,043.
	The cost per house of meeting the decent homes standard varies across the country and the Department does not collect those figures separately. Some local authorities are refurbishing the houses in their area significantly above the decent homes standard. What the improved standard is and how it will be achieved will be determined by local circumstances and the level of resources that can be brought to the programme locally. The Government expect over 40 billion to be spent on refurbishing social homes by 2010, this includes raising houses above the decent homes standard.

Housing: Low Incomes

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many units of affordable housing for  (a) rent and  (b) sale were built with funding generated by recycled capital grant in (i) 2005-06 and (ii) 2006-07;
	(2)  how much recycled capital grant was spent by registered social landlords to fund investment in refurbishment of existing stock in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 23 April 2007
	The following table shows the number of homes provided for rent and sale through recycled capital grant funding without additional social housing grant in 2005-06. Figures for 2006-07 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Homes provided through RCGF 
			   2005-06 
			 Social Rent 349 
			 Low Cost Home Ownership 487 
			  Source:  Housing Corporation. 
		
	
	Registered social landlords spent a total of 50.5 million of their recycled capital grant fund on re-improvements and major repairs of existing stock in 2005-06. Figures for 2006-07 are not yet available.

Housing: Multiple Occupation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the work of local authorities' co-ordinators of regulatory services in relation to their role in monitoring the licensing of houses in multiple occupation.

Yvette Cooper: The Department agreed a programme of work for the local authorities' co-ordinators of regulatory services (LACORS) for 2005-06. The programme has been delivered as agreed. It did not specifically include any remit to monitor individual local authorities' performance in implementation of the licensing regime. Communities and Local Government is presently working with LACORS to agree a programme of work in 2007-08.

Housing: North East Region

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by how much average house prices have increased  (a) in the Tees Valley and  (b) the area corresponding as closely as possible to Middlesbrough and South East Cleveland over the last 10 years.

Phil Woolas: The statistics which are readily available for these specific geographic areas cover house sales since April 2000 and therefore represent six financial years from 2000-01 to 2005-06. In Tees Valley, the overall percentage increase in house prices over this period was 100.3 per cent. The corresponding percentage increase figure for Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland was 114.7 per cent.

Housing: North West Region

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to increase the number of shared equity family homes in  (a) Warrington South and  (b) other North West housing hot spots.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 22 May 2007
	The Government are committed to tackling affordability. We aim to increase the supply of new homes in England to 200,000 per annum by 2016.
	The Government are expanding the Low Cost Home Ownership programme to help more people into partial ownership on a shared equity basis. The main driver for this will be the flagship, Homebuy programme. The Housing Corporation has allocated 9.7 million to help households buy a home on the open market in the North West, of which over 1.3 million should be spent in Cheshire, and a further 1.8 million to help existing tenants buy a share of their existing home.
	The Government are also supporting affordable housing provision through the Housing Corporation's National Affordable Housing programme. Overall, the Corporation hopes to complete 3,782 houses for rent and 1,137 houses for sale in its 2006-08 North West programme worth 224 million.

Housing: Public Service

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the availability of housing for  (a) nurses,  (b) teachers,  (c) police officers,  (d) firefighters and  (e) paramedics.

Yvette Cooper: We do not hold data on the availability of housing for these key worker groups. Any such assessment would be for key worker employers to carry out. However, we do know that the housing market has not responded sufficiently to meet the needs of the country's ageing and growing population and one of the consequences of this has been recruitment and retention problems in front-line public services.
	We have made it clear that our ambition is to increase the supply of new homes in England to at least 200,000 per annum by 2016; but, in the meantime, we are doing all we can to help people on modest incomes into housing. Since 2001 key workers have been one of our priority groups for housing assistance and we have now helped nearly 25,000 key workers into a home through our key worker housing programmes, the Starter Home Initiative and Key Worker Living.
	For the purposes of Key Worker Living, a key worker is defined as someone employed by the public sector in a front-line role in health, education or community safety delivering an essential public service where there are serious recruitment and retention problems. Within this broad definition sponsor Government Departments and police and fire authorities specify the groups at which help should be targeted based on recruitment and retention issues in critical front-line services. Nurses, teachers, police officers, firefighters and paramedics are all eligible roles under the scheme which operates in London, south-east and east of England. So far we have helped 3,143 nurses, 5,129 teachers, 1,677 police officers, 109 firefighters and 209 paramedics under the Key Worker Living scheme. We are unable to provide this detailed breakdown of the key workers helped through the Starter Home Initiative but know that at least 3,895 health sector workers, 3,196 teachers and 1,321 police staff received assistance.
	Key Worker Living is one element of the Government's HomeBuy scheme which will expand the opportunity for home ownership to over a 120,000 households by 2010. We expect 30,000 of those helped through HomeBuy to be key workers.

Housing: Standards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect of the Decent Homes Standard on leasehold charges on owners of former right to buy flats; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the written statement given on 29 March 2007,  Official Report, column 118WS.

Housing: Yorkshire and Humberside

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she proposes to make land available for affordable housing in the North Yorkshire National Park.

Yvette Cooper: Government policy is to improve affordability across the housing market. Local planning authorities have the key role in the delivery of affordable housing using all the tools available to them, including having an appropriate policy framework in a Development Plan.
	In providing for affordable housing in rural communities, where opportunities for delivering affordable housing are more limited, the aim should be to deliver high quality housing that contributes to the creation and maintenance of sustainable rural communities in market towns and villages.
	In line with Government guidance, the current North York Moors Local Plan includes an exceptions policy that enables the development of affordable housing on sites in villages which would not otherwise receive planning consent.
	The emerging North York Moors Local Development Framework, in particular, the Core Strategy and Development Policies DPD that is currently at pre-submission stage, contains draft policies for improving the supply of affordable homes for local needs, including an exceptions policy.

Local Authorities: Land

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will extend the policy of allowing local authorities to sell land to local communities for 1 and receive extra funding to allow the Government to sell land to the local community for 1 on sites of local interest; and if she will consider the sale of Darwin House in Shrewsbury under such a policy.

Angela Smith: Central Government Departments may dispose of surplus assets on the open market at less than the best price reasonably obtainable. The procedure for this is set out in chapter 25 of Government Accounting, which states that parliamentary approval must be sought for gifts (that is, the difference between the price agreed and the best price reasonably obtainable) where the value exceeds 250,000.
	Local authorities' power to dispose of surplus assets at less than best consideration is governed by the General Disposal Consent 2003 under the Local Government Act 1972. This provides that they will not be required to seek specific consent from the Secretary of State for the disposal of land where the difference between the unrestricted value of the interest and the consideration accepted is less than 2 million, subject to specific circumstances.
	In all cases both central and local government will need to demonstrate that the additional community benefits accruing from the disposal at less than best consideration outweigh the opportunity costs of not pursuing other options, including the capital receipt that would be obtained from open market sale.
	In the case of Darwin House, the Valuation Office Agency is leasing the property in order to deliver a valuable public service so it is currently not surplus to requirements.

Local Government Finance: Coastal Areas

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans her Department has to provide for the additional social costs of higher than average aged populations of the larger coastal urban areas.

Phil Woolas: Older peoples' social services are funded by general formula grant and from councils' own revenues raised from council tax or fees and charges. We take account of the relative needs of different areas to provide older people's social services during the calculation of formula grant.
	Within the calculation of formula grant, there is a relative needs formula for older people's social services. The resident population are the main driver of the formula with additional elements to take into account other factors related to need, including the number of very elderly people in each area.
	The formula is calculated using data on the number of people aged 65 and over resident in each area, and pensioners living alone, over 65s in receipt of pension credit and attendance allowance, pensioners who live in rented accommodation and those aged 90 and over in each area.
	We expect to update the data we use in the relative needs formulae for the 2008-09 settlement, where possible. This will ensure that the calculations reflect changes in demographic and other trends in each local authority.

Non-Domestic Rates

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to take forward the recommendations in the Lyons Review of Local Government on exemptions and relief in relation to business rates.

Phil Woolas: We are considering how best to take forward the review of exemptions and reliefs in light of Sir Michael's recommendations and will make an announcement in due course.

Non-Domestic Rates: Nurseries

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1189W, if she will assess the effect of the level of the business rates incurred by  (a) private day nurseries,  (b) voluntary day nurseries,  (c) nurseries located in schools and  (d) Sure Start children's centres on their operation over the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not held centrally.

Ordnance Survey

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what communication her Department had with the Chair of the Advisory Panel for Public Sector Information between 10 July 2006 and 20 February 2007 on the appeal made by Ordnance Survey against the findings of the Office of Public Sector Information in connection with the complaint made against them by Intelligent Addressing Limited.

Angela Smith: There was no communication between the Department and the Chair of the Advisory Panel for Public Sector Information (APPSI) on the complaint made between those dates.

Planning

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what legislation will be required to establish  (a) the new Infrastructure Planning Commission and  (b) the other proposed reforms to the planning system following the White Paper Planning for a Sustainable Future.

Yvette Cooper: Primary and secondary legislation will be needed to establish an infrastructure planning commission, including its powers, functions and procedures, a single consent regime for nationally significant infrastructure, statutory requirements for national policy statements including consultation, for consultation during the development of a project and for other aspects considered in the White Paper (CM 7120). Primary and secondary legislation will also be needed to implement some aspects of the proposals for reform of the Town and Country Planning system, subject to the outcome of consultation.

Planning

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what remuneration she expects to allocate to the proposed planning commissioners; and when the template for the specific areas of expertise to be embodied in the proposed planning commission will be published.

Yvette Cooper: Remuneration for commissioners of the infrastructure planning commission will need to be commensurate with their standing, experience, expertise and time spent on commission business.
	Paragraph 5.58 of the White Paper Planning for a Sustainable Future (Cmd 7120) sets out an illustrative range of fields of expertise on which we are currently consulting. We will listen to responses to the consultation and do not expect to publish more details until we have fully considered those responses.

Planning: Environment Protection

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the consistency of the environmental standards for new homes set by local planning authorities.

Yvette Cooper: Local planning authority policies on environmental standards for new homes vary in terms of their scope, specific requirement and degree of prescription. There is also variation as to when, and how, local planning authorities seek to apply such policies. Some local planning authorities have identifiable policies on environmental standards in their adopted development plan, or are proposing such policies in draft plans. Others rely on supplementary planning guidance which does not form part of the plan.
	In October 2006 Arup's, on behalf of English Partnerships, undertook a survey of 61 authorities in England (including regional planning bodies) in order to identify the prevalence of policies relating to the use of on-site renewable energy, waste recycling, use of sustainable materials or the use of specific standards like EcoHomes. This identified a wide variation of approaches across the sample. The report is available on English Partnerships' website.

Public Buildings: Renewable Energy

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her policy is on the installation in  (a) new and  (b) existing local authority public buildings of energy-producing technology; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 24 May 2007
	The Local Government White Paper published in October 2006 makes clear that all local authorities can and should be taking action to combat climate change, taking account of local circumstances and priorities. It sets out areas where local authorities can have an impact, for example on their own estate, which could include installing renewable energy and energy-producing technologies on new and existing local authority public buildings.

Public Lavatories: Disabled

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether guidelines are included in building regulations on the design of grab rails in disabled access toilets.

Angela Smith: Yes, Approved Document M (Access to and use of buildings) includes in Section 5 (Sanitary accommodation in buildings other than dwellings) detailed guidance on the design of grab rails in accessible toilets for both wheelchair using and ambulant disabled people. The guidance is based on the recommendations of British Standard BS 8300 'Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled peopleCode of Practice'. This standard was based on research and user trials funded by this Department's predecessors.

Regeneration

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what input her Department has made to the joint departmental review of sub-national economic development and regeneration; and what the terms of reference are of the review.

Yvette Cooper: The review of sub-national economic development and regeneration is being carried out jointly by Communities and Local Government, HM Treasury and the Department for Trade and Industry. Officials have been working closely with their counterparts in those Departments to make progress across the review's remit. Communities and Local Government has, and continues to be, fully engaged with the review.
	The review is focused on exploring the opportunities for releasing further the economic potential of English regions, cities and localities; and for responding more effectively to the ongoing challenge of tackling pockets of deprivation. Its terms of reference are available on the HM Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./media/63A/96/csr07_subnatecon_tor.pdf.
	The Budget (pages 46 and 47) provided an update on the review's progress, including highlighting the areas for potential reform that it is considering. The Budget can be found on the HM Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/73B/5B/bud07_chapter3_302.pdf.
	Copies are available in the Library of the House. The review will report to Ministers in advance of the 2007 comprehensive spending review.

Regeneration: Coastal Areas

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how her Department plans to assess the effectiveness of the South East England regional development agency in its new lead role on a regional development agency network on sharing best practice in the regeneration of coastal towns including tourism development.

Phil Woolas: Communities and Local Government and SEEDA will work together to share best practice on promoting the economic development of coastal towns and will monitor progress through regular dialogue with regional development agencies to inform the development of regional economic strategies.

Regeneration: Coastal Areas

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will undertake research to further the understanding of the common characteristics of factors affecting coastal towns.

Phil Woolas: Officials from the Department took part in a conference on coastal towns hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry on 8 May. This looked at whether there are issues common to coastal towns that need to be addressed, and what is the best policy approach, if any, for tackling the perceived problems.
	In the light of this, the Government will consider the need to examine further the evidence on the characteristics of coastal towns to help inform policy making. This position is set out in the Government response to the Communities and Local Government Committee report on coastal towns laid before the House on 18 May.

Revenue Support Grant

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made in her Department's review of day visitor indicators with reference to their future inclusion in the relative needs formula aspect of revenue support grant calculations.

Phil Woolas: An indicator on the number of day visitors to a local authority's area is currently used in the Highways Maintenance and Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) blocks of the formula grant calculations. The indicators used in the grant formulae are currently being reviewed ahead of calculating the first three-year settlement for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11.
	Communities and Local Government are currently exploring, in discussion with the Settlement Working Group (SWG), an alternative approach to give an indication of the attractiveness to day visitors of an area. The papers and minutes of SWG meetings can be found on the Department's web site at:
	www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/0809/grant.htm
	Following SWG discussions, there will be a period of public consultation on options for formula changes, which may include an option for this alternative indicator.

Right to Buy Scheme

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes the Government have made to the regulations and guidance to local authorities on how to handle the proceeds from right to buy sales since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: On 1 April 2004 legislation changing the treatment of capital receipts arising from right to buy (RTB) disposals came into force. Prior to that date, local authorities with debt were required to set-aside 75 per cent. of the capital receipt generated by an RTB disposal for repayment of that debt, and were able to use the remaining 25 per cent. of the receipt for any capital purpose. Debt-free authorities were not required to set-aside and were able to use their entire receipt for any capital purpose.
	Since 1 April 2004, all local authorities have been required to pay the same proportion of RTB receipts to the Secretary of State. This process is known as pooling. The Government, however, have consistently invested more in housing than they have received in receipts. In 2004-05 the amount paid to government from all housing receipts (not just right to buy) was 1.7 billion. The amount invested in housing was 4.1 billion ie almost 2.5 times the amount received in receipts.

Second Homes

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans  (a) to require planning permission for second homes,  (b) to impose quotas on the number of second homes in specific areas and  (c) to charge second home owners an impact fee; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Affordable Rural Housing Commission identified certain problems associated with high levels of second home ownership in particular communities. The Commission concluded that across rural England as a whole, the impact of second homes was modest. It did however recommend that we consider measures to offset any detrimental effects in those localised areas where they occur.
	We have no plans to alter the use class order to require planning permission for second homes.
	We have already given local authorities flexibility to reduce the council tax discount offered on second homes to 10 per cent. In 2005-06 that raised an additional 92 million to spend on local priorities. We have no plans to make further changes.

Social Rented Housing

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority homes were sold under right to buy in each of the last five years; and how many new homes were built by  (a) local authorities and  (b) registered social landlords in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The numbers of local authority homes sold through the right to buy scheme in each of the last five years are shown in the following table 1:
	
		
			  Table 1: Local authority dwellings sold through the right to buy scheme: England 
			   Right to buy sales 
			 2001-02 51,968 
			 2002-03 63,394 
			 2003-04 69,577 
			 2004-05 49,983 
			 2005-06 26,654 
			  Source: Statistical returns from local authorities (P1B) 
		
	
	The numbers of affordable homes delivered by local authorities and registered social landlords in each of the last five years are shown in the following table 2. Affordable housing includes both social rent and intermediate housing. Intermediate housing includes low cost homeownership and intermediate rent.
	
		
			  Table  2:  Affordable homes delivered( 1) : England 
			   Local a uthorities  Registered  s ocial  l andlords 
			 2001-02 63 32,143 
			 2002-03 199 31,881 
			 2003-04 191 36,910 
			 2004-05 100 35,942 
			 2005-06 299 44,640 
			 (1) Includes both acquisitions and new build.  Source: Statistical returns from local authorities (P2), Housing Corporation

Social Rented Housing

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will revise the system of consultations between public sector long leaseholders and registered social landlords under the 1985 Landlord and Tenant Act to require full consultation between the two parties in each case.

Yvette Cooper: Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (as amended by section 151 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002) requires that leaseholders must be consulted before the landlord carries out works above a certain value (currently where the amount exceeds 250 for any individual leaseholder) or enters into a long-term agreement (currently where the amount exceeds 100 for any individual leaseholder per year) for the provision of services.
	We have no current plans to amend these consultation requirements.

Social Rented Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the administrative costs were of the 10  (a) largest and  (b) smallest registered social landlords in England in 2006-07.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally.

Thames Gateway: Parks

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on her plans for the proposed Thames Gateway Parkland.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 24 May 2007
	On 22 November 2006 the Government published its Interim Plan for the Thames Gateway, which, among other things, set out the Government's intention to develop the Thames Gateway Parklands.
	The parklands will establish a unifying green vision for the Gateway's natural, built and historic landscapes. It will promote well designed, sustainable and high quality places with the Thames estuary at its heart.
	A framework for delivery will be published later in the year.

Travelling People

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what legislation allows the immediate moving on of travellers trespassing on local authority land in circumstances where there is a local authority traveller site available.

Meg Munn: Sections 62A-E of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 enable the police to move on Gypsies and Travellers trespassing on any land where a suitable pitch is available on a publicly owned site in the area.

Travelling People

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what action may be taken against local authorities which do not provide adequate traveller sites.

Meg Munn: Under section 15(4) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act, the Secretary of State may direct a local planning authority to amend its Local Development Scheme to include a Development Plan Document for the allocation of Gypsy and Traveller sites and the timetable within such a plan must be prepared.

Travelling People

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which tier of authority has legal responsibility for provision of traveller sites in two tier authority areas.

Meg Munn: District and unitary councils are required to undertake accommodation needs assessments for Gypsies and Travellers in their areas, and to identify land in their Development Plan Documents to deliver the pitch numbers allocated to them by the Regional Assembly in the Regional Spatial Strategy. However, sites may be provided by any type of local authority, registered social landlords or private organisations and individuals.

Travelling People: East Midlands

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the required number is of traveller site spaces in each local authority in  (a) the East Midlands and  (b) South Yorkshire.

Meg Munn: Local authorities are now required to undertake an assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers in their area. The South Yorkshire authorities jointly and all authorities in the East Midlands are currently undertaking this work and we expect caravan site pitch numbers to be identified and published as part of their assessments later this year.

Travelling People: South Yorkshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority travellers sites there are in each local authority area in  (a) South Yorkshire and  (b) the East Midlands; and what the size is of each site.

Meg Munn: The Department for Communities and Local Government publishes data on the number of Gypsy and Traveller caravans on authorised public and private sites, and unauthorised encampments and developments twice yearly. This contains a list of publicly owned sites with information on the number of pitches that each accommodates. Copies of the latest publication Count of Gypsy Caravans on 18 January 2007: Last Five Counts have been distributed to the Libraries of the House. An electronic version is also available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1153575.

Travelling People: Trespass

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many convictions of travellers there were in 2006 for trespass on  (a) Government and  (b) local authority-owned land.

Meg Munn: holding answer 24 May 2007
	Criminal sanctions are available under sections 61, 62A-E, 77 and 78 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. Communities and Local Government does not hold any information on the number of convictions for trespass on Government or local authority owned land.

Unitary Councils: Higher Civil Servants

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) name and  (b) grade is of the most senior civil servant working on unitary authority bids; how long that person worked in her Department; and how much he or she is paid per annum.

Phil Woolas: It has not been the practice of successive Governments to name officials in public responses. Peter Housden is the Permanent Secretary and is the Department's Principal Accounting Officer and Principal Policy Adviser to the Secretary of State. He has been in his post at this Department and previously at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister since 24 October 2005.

Urban Areas: Tree Planting

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she has taken to encourage the planting of trees in  (a) urban streets and  (b) other urban locations; and if she will make funds available to local authorities for the planting of trees in urban areas.

Yvette Cooper: We have funded Trees for Cities, through the Special Grants Programme, to develop guidance to enable local authorities, communities and other local groups to work in partnership to plant new trees. Pilot programmes have been established in Bristol, Kettering, Leeds, London, Manchester and Reading.
	Funding is provided through revenue support to local authorities for the planting and maintenance of trees. We have made more money available for urban parks over the past five years though the Liveability Fund, and the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund. We also provide continued support to local authorities to improve the quality of their parks through the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment Space enabling scheme and our How To Programme.
	The quality of urban parks has improved since 2000, as recognised by the recent National Audit Office report, Enhancing Urban Green Spaces. We remain committed to supporting local authorities deliver quality parks and green spaces through our Cleaner, Safer, Greener Communities programme.

Urban Areas: Trees

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research she has commissioned into the amenity value of trees in  (a) urban streets and  (b) other urban locations.

Yvette Cooper: We have not commissioned any research into the amenity value of trees.

Urban Areas: Trees

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her policy is on the planting and maintenance of trees in  (a) urban streets and  (b) other urban locations; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government's policy, stated in the England Forestry Strategy, recognises the value of trees within the urban environment and encourages their planting and maintenance. We have been in discussion with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding the development of a new strategy for England's trees, woods and forests. The strategy will be published in the summer.
	The planting and maintenance of trees is a matter for each local and highway authority to consider in the light of local circumstances and taking account of the needs of the local environment. Local authorities are encouraged to produce tree strategies to promote the management and enhancement of the tree population in their areas, including street trees and to use current best practice.

Written Questions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to reply to question 136345, on home information packs, tabled by the hon. Member for Cotswold on 2 May.

Yvette Cooper: I answered the hon. Member's question on 24 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1528W.

JUSTICE

Acquittals

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many people who were jailed in the United Kingdom for  (a) murder and  (b) manslaughter have been subsequently found innocent by the Court of Criminal Appeal and released from prison since 1987.

Harriet Harman: The following table shows the number of people whose conviction for  (a) murder and  (b) manslaughter was quashed by the Court of Appeal Criminal Division between 1996 (the first year for which reliable figures are available) and 2007. For cases which involved an order for retrial, the final result is not known.
	
		
			   Conviction quashed; no order for retrial  Conviction quashed; retrial ordered  Total conviction s quashed 
			   Murder( 1)  Manslaughter( 1)  Murder( 1)  Manslaughter( 1)  
			 1996 1  4  5 
			 1997 9 4 6 1 20 
			 1998 20 5 21 4 50 
			 1999 12 5 4  21 
			 2000 8 2 7 2 19 
			 2001 11 1 6  18 
			 2002 14 4 6 1 25 
			 2003 22 1 9 2 34 
			 2004 14 4 14 1 33 
			 2005 12 4 8 1 25 
			 2006 15 7 5 4 31 
			 2007(2) 1  3  4 
			 (1 )Also includes inchoate offences (2) 1 January 2007 to 30 April 2007

Age of Majority

Iain Wright: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will consider introducing a pilot scheme for lowering the voting age to 16 years to ascertain the effects on  (a) political engagement and  (b) electoral turnout.

Bridget Prentice: The Government have no immediate plans to introduce pilot schemes to ascertain the effects of lowering the voting age to 16.

Care Proceedings

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the financial implications of the planned changes are to the way in which care proceedings are dealt with in court.

Harriet Harman: Details about the financial implications of implementation of the recommendations of the 'Review of the Child Care Proceedings System in England Wales' are contained in the regulatory impact assessment laid before Parliament on 18 May 2006. A copy has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and is available electronically through the former Department of Constitutional Affairs website
	http://www.dca.gov.uk/laid/childcare.htm.

Cemeteries

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  how many cases of  (a) successful and  (b) unsuccessful litigation there have been related to injuries and deaths caused by falling gravestones and memorials in council graveyards in the last 20 years;
	(2)  how many complaints there have been of unsafe gravestones and memorials in council graveyards in the last 20 years;
	(3)  how many church graveyards were safety inspected in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007;
	(4)  how many deaths there were in council graveyards in each of the last 20 years  (a) in total and  (b) from falling gravestones and memorials;
	(5)  how many council graveyards had areas closed for safety reasons during  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007;
	(6)  how many non-members of the National Association of Memorial Masons are authorised to test and repair gravestones in council graveyards.

Harriet Harman: The information requested is not held or collated centrally. Responsibility for the management and safety of council burial grounds, including the competence of those authorised to test and repair gravestones, lies with individual burial authorities.
	Recent advice to burial authorities has stressed the need for great sensitivity and careful planning in the way any memorials are tested or made safe.

Cemeteries

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  what involvement the National Association of Memorial Masons had in determining standards of health and safety in council graveyards;
	(2)  which external bodies were consulted over the system of gravestone testing now operated by local authorities.

Harriet Harman: I understand that the National Association of Memorial Masons were one of the bodies represented on the Technical Committee responsible for the preparation of the relevant British Standards Institution specifications published in 2005.
	It is for individual local authorities to determine what testing of gravestones should be undertaken. Detailed advice and guidance on memorial and safety standards has been issued by various professional and representative bodies, including the National Association of Memorial Masons.

Children's Panel Solicitors

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many children's panel solicitors are registered in  (a) Nottinghamshire and  (b) England; and how many were so registered in each case in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The Law Society's Children Panel is maintained by the Law Society and is independent of Government. I understand that there are 1,617 solicitors currently registered on the Children's Panel in England and Wales.
	The number of solicitors registered on the Children's Panel for England and Wales in each of the last five years is as follows.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 1,796 
			 2005 1,752 
			 2004 1,917 
			 2003 2,245 
			 2002 2,424 
		
	
	There are 36 solicitors currently registered on the Children's Panel in Nottinghamshire. However historical data on the different regions are not held.

Crime: Sentencing

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice which offences fall under the definition of 'acquisitive crime' as referred to by the Secretary of State for Justice in his recent speech on sentencing.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The term 'Acquisitive Crime' is used to describe crime where items are stolen from persons or property, or acquired fraudulently. This encompasses such offences as theft, burglary, vehicle crime, fraud and counterfeiting.

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by her Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Harriet Harman: Since the Ministry of Justice was only formed on 9 May 2007, my response refers to the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) and those bodies which were formerly part of the Home Office which are now part of the new Department.
	 DCA
	 (a) A framework contract exists with Kelly Services for the supply of temporary agency workers to cover administrative posts. In the financial year ending 31 March 2007, expenditure with them was 8.08 million. DCA did use other agencies, but information relating to them is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	 (b) Annex 1 lists those consultancy contracts that were in place on 1 April 2007.
	 Office for Criminal Justice Reform (PCJR)
	 (a) Knight Employment Limited and Manpower are used to cover temporary administrative posts. In April 2007, expenditure with Knight Employment Limited was 30,000 and in the financial year ending 31 March 2008, expenditure with Manpower is expected to be 90,000. Information relating to the use of other agencies is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	 (b) Annex 2 lists consultancy contracts in place on 1 April 2007.
	 National  Offender Management Service (N OMS)
	 (a) In the financial year ending 31 March 2007, 2,298,876 was spent with employment agencies to cover temporary administrative posts. The top five employment agencies used, in terms of expenditure, were Adecco, Hays, Manpower, Reed Personnel and Brook Street.
	 (b) Information on current consultancy contracts is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, Annex 3 lists consultancy contracts in place from 1 February 2006 to 28 February 2007.
	 HM Prison Service (HMPS)
	 (a) In the financial year ending 31 March 2007, the following companies, together with expenditure details, were used to supply agency workers to cover temporary administrative posts:
	Adecco UK Limited964,993
	Brook Street (UK) Limited1.2 million
	Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited840,784
	Manpower UK Limited279,909
	Reed Employment plc914,190.
	 (b) Information on current consultancy contracts is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, Annex 4 lists consultancy contracts in place during the financial year ending 31 March 2007.
	
		
			  DCA consultancy expenditure as at 1 April 2007Annex 1 
			  Consultancy  Project  Approximate value () 
			 PA Consulting Business change management consultancy 100,000 
			 Penna Business change management consultancy 35,000 
			 CMAS Consultancy services connected with Charter Mark 46,000 
			 IPSOS Mori Three-year HM Courts Service customer user survey 1.08 million 
			 PA Consulting Business change management consultancy 972,000 
			 John Garnett Specialist estates advice 52,000 
			 PA Consulting Business change management consultancy 54,000 
			 Parity Public Guardianship Office customer satisfaction survey 39,000 
			 Logica CMG Provision of management information and business planning services to Tribunals Service 302,000 
			 Matrix Research Consultancy Evaluation of the dedicated Drug Court pilots. 250,000 
		
	
	
		
			  OCJR consultancy expenditure as at 1 April 2007Annex 2 
			  Consultancy  Project  Approximate value () 
			 PA Consulting To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the CJS, to aid the development/management of both the business case and the change processes. 50,435 
			 Qi Consulting To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the CJS, to aid the development/management of both the business case and the change processes. 37,128 
			 CapGemini To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the CJS, to aid the development/management of both the business case and the change processes. 20,566 
			 Matrix To develop the minimum dataset to improve data on Race across the CJS 50,000 
		
	
	
		
			  NOMS consultancy expenditure: February 2006 to February 2007Annex 3 
			  Consultant  Project  Approximate value 
			 KPMG Delivery of operating model to define NOMS's future organisational structure 95,000 
			 HR Data Warehouse Proof of Concept of development of NPD HR Data Warehouse 90,000 
			 KPMG Support for Performance Management Project Team 46,000 
			 KPMG Development of Offender Management Standards 39,150 
			 NESCO Revised Offender Assessment System Training arrangements 88,200 
			 OGC Market Readiness of Potential Suppliers for Commissioning and Contestability Unit 50,000 
			 Vice Versa Projects Vice Versa ProjectsProvision of NOMS Roadshows 30,000 
			 KPMG Review of HQ Structure 346,600 
			 NESCO Data migration and harmonisation for C-NOMIS Project 143,000 
			 OGC Confidence in Delivery Assessment on C-NOMIS 25,000 
			 KPMG Programme Management 40,800 
			 Bath Consultancy Group Pathways to Reducing Re-Offending: Mapping the Services in the East of England 13,000 
			 KPMG Headcount Reduction Project 60,000 
			 McKinsey NOMS Change Programme 340,000 
			 OGC Compile business case for revised governance procedures 7,500 
			 McKinsey West of Midlands and Families of Offenders Project Specification 250,000 
			 OGC Consultancy support for managing multiple Refresh Workstreams 126,000 
			 OGC Martin Connorto produce business case for Violent Offender and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) Project. 16,000 
			 DeMontfort University Risk of Harm Guidance and Training Manual 87,420 
			 KPMG Development of Estates Strategy 113,200 
			 OGC Commercial and Operational Advisor for contestability programme 249,696 
			 Simon Merrington Offender Assessment System Chapter 2 review and rewrite 5,000 
			 Concerto Consulting Review of Commercial and Competitions Unit 59,000 
			 KPMG Support for the development of a new NOMS performance management system 700,000 
			 OGC Compile business case commissioning programme 4,314 
			 ASE C-NOMIS Contracts and Live Services Manager 189,900 
			 McKinsey NOMS Business Design 300,000 
			 KPMG Portfolio management support to NOMS Programme Directorate 80,000 
			 Shepherd Consulting Stock take of the first stage of commissioning 40,000 
			 Dr. Nigel Young Investigation of production of lists of prisoners for Random Mandatory Drug Testing by two new systems 1,000 
			 McKinsey NOMS Business Design 250,000 
			 Hartley McMaster Ltd. Performance planning and diagnostic data 32,000 
			 Avril Consulting Electronic Monitoring Team Review 37,875 
			 PA Consulting Electronic Data SystemsWide Area Network Review 63,000 
			 KPMG Development of Operating Model for NOMS HQ 74,000 
			 SJC Howard To provide advice on NOMS system design and other strategic advice 16,000 
			 PUK To provide support for the delivery of the Commercial and Operational Assurance Project (COAP) 30,000 
			 Bilkis Malik Diversity Consultant for Independent Monitoring Board 45,000 
			 Deloittes Commercial and Operational Assurance Project 40,000 
			 Deloittes To advise on the sale of equity for Serco PFI Contracts 10,000 
			 CPI Support to hold three seminars on co-commissioning framework between the Home Office and DoH 46,700 
			 TWP Merseyside Mersey Consortium 20,000 
			 Diverse Solutions 2005 Ltd. Equality and Diversity Quality Assurance and Support 20,000 
			 MITP To develop a scoring system for the Community Adapted Sex Offender Treatment Programme (C.ASOTP) 10,000 
			 MITP Scoring System for Psychometric Assessments 10,000 
			 Nigel Spencer Consultants Consultancy re foreign national prisoners 10,000 
			 Catalyst IS Ltd. Support the delivery of PECS Risk Management Workshop 2,850 
			 Partnerships UK Refinancing Advice 15,000 
			 Eversheds Refinancing/Legal Advice 15,000 
			 CPI Outcome-based regional commissioning plan 14,900 
			 Mason Communications Appointment of technical adviser for Videolinks 36,000 
			 Ionann Management Consultants Support to equality impact assess the strategy for delivering effective services for women offenders in the community 8,000 
			 Ionann Management Consultants Support to equality impact assess the use or non-use of interpreters in interventions programmes for offenders 13,000 
			 PWC To identify providers of offender management and interventions services in Wales 34,780 
			 McKinsey Facilitation of a Programme Delivery Board away day 10,000 
			 OGC To carry out review of e-Offender Assessment System application and IAPS 26,100 
			 Sand Resources Ltd. To represent the Home Office on security matters 8,000 
			 Catalyst Ltd. To run risk workshop for senior management team 1,900 
			 Dr. Dorothy Newbury-Birch Analysis of alcohol needs of newly sentenced offenders 8,000 
			 Henley Software Public Protection and License Release Unit 66,125 
			 Finnamore Consultants Facilitate planning workshop 20,000 
			 Ad Esse Consulting Offender employment performance target and measures 90,000 
			 Churchill, Minty  Friend Consultancy support to develop a framework for auditing purposes for the Disability Equality Scheme and evaluate 20,000 
			 Mouchel Parkman Consultants Electronic model for drug treatment 20,000 
			 Hartley McMaster Ltd. Development of new NOMS performance management systemPerformance Management Rating System 45,000 
			 PWC Probation Resource Model 93,650 
			 Professor Barry Goldson Review of Immigration Removal Centre survey methodology 3,500 
			 Stanton Marris NOMS Top Team Away day 5,200 
			 CPI Design and develop operational specification for new prisons 10,000 
			 CPI Workshop analysis: Isle of Sheppey Cluster proposals 7,375 
			 Navigant Bidders Forum Workshop 6,800 
			 Greater Manchester Probation Area Reconfigure IT systems in NW Probation 10,000 
			 Ionann Management Consultants Consultancy services to support legal and good practice of NOMS delivery of Equality/Diversity 32,300 
			 Trevor Cobley Commissioned for a leak enquiry and security review 30,000 
			 PUK Design, Construct, Manage, Finance prisons 29,400 
			 Jenny Rayner Facilitate NOMS Board Risk workshop 7,000 
			 COI Consultant from COI to support work of the Change Strategy Review Team 31,625 
			 OGC CIDA 40,000 
			 Bird  Bird Legal adviser service 50,000 
		
	
	
		
			  HMPS Consultancy Expenditure 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007Annex 4 
			  Consultancy  Project  Approximate value () 
			 Hudsons Software Design Consultant 18,000 
			 Morgan Hunt Statistician 33,480 
			 IES Independent Review of Job Evaluation System 10,000 
			 IES Impact Analysis for Movement to Pay and Grading System 41,400 
			 University of Cambridge Extension of grant to University of Cambridge PRC 668,000 
			 PWC Benchmarking Services 100,000 
			 Udakka Ltd. Exit Survey 25,000 
			 Helen Sandwell Nutrition, the Drug Strategy Support Unit 30,000 
			 University of Cambridge Prison Research CentreExtension to Cambridge 12,478 
			 lan Charters Review of Business Continuity Plans 10,000 
			 University of Cambridge Assurance and management research (Phd) 38,000 
			 Cardiff University European Social Fund Grant Evaluation 19,015 
			 Institute of Employment Studies Extension for IES 10,000 
			 Hudson Software Design Consultant 9,000 
			 Manchester University Review of Deaths in Segregation 22,000

Departments: Marketing

Mark Francois: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  what the cost was of designing, procuring and installing new signage for her Department in all buildings;
	(2)  how much her Department has spent on stationery featuring her new Department's name and logo;
	(3)  how much her Department has spent on business cards featuring her new Department's name and logo;
	(4)  if she will list all items in her Department branded with 'Ministry of Justice'; and what the total cost has been of producing these items.

David Hanson: Costs incurred by the Department for Constitutional Affairs up to 9 May 2007 in relation to the setting up of the Ministry of Justice are estimated at 1.5 million. These costs mainly relate to IT and estate changes to ensure the new Ministry can operate effectively. Additional costs arising from the integration of the various activities that constitute the new Ministry will be incurred after 9 May.

Departments: Marketing

Mark Francois: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the cost of setting up her Department's new website was.

David Hanson: The cost of setting up www.justice.gov.uk was 21,458. These costs exclude ongoing web hosting arrangements and staffing costs. Most of the work was completed in house by the existing Ministry of Justice web team.

Departments: Statistics

David Burrowes: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will take steps to collect statistics on erroneous data collections by her Department.

Harriet Harman: Much of the data used in the Ministry of Justice is drawn from the administrative systems of the prison and probation services, or the courts. Although care is taken when analysing and publishing the resulting statistics, they are subject to the data quality constraints inherent in all large-scale administrative recording systems. Our statistical publications contain explanatory notes to this effect.
	We are currently undertaking a programme of work to audit the quality of our data, and to identify priorities for improvement. This work aims to reduce the overall number of data collections, and remove or improve any which are of insufficient quality.
	As part of the ongoing statistical analysis process, data collections are subject to a range of checks and controls that aim to detect errors and minimise their future occurrence. These will vary according to the operational setting, but can include:
	Automated checks to ensure that data are arithmetically and logically valid.
	Verification using existing trend data and other relevant sources.
	Formal and informal dialogue with data suppliers.
	It is possible to calculate periodic estimates of the error rate for certain specific Ministry of Justice data collections. However, where no alternative data sources exist, such estimates typically rely on labour-intensive manual checking, and therefore to produce them across all our data collections as a matter of routine would be disproportionately costly.

Divorce

Maria Miller: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many  (a) pension sharing orders and  (b) divorces were granted in each month since December 2000.

Harriet Harman: The following table contains data taken from the Family Man computer system in the county courts of England and Wales between January 2001 and December 2006. The data show the number of pension sharing orders and the number of decrees of dissolution of marriage recorded as having been made in that period. The significant increase in the number of pension sharing orders recorded from April 2004 onwards is the result of a change in the way the information was recorded. Prior to this, a certain category of ancillary relief orders was recorded in such a way that pension sharing orders could not be separately identified.
	
		
			  Number of  p ension  s haring and  d ivorces 
			   Total sharing orders  Total divorces 
			Divorce petitions  Decrees nisi  Decrees absolute 
			  2001 
			 January 3 14,187 13,057 13,682 
			 February 5 15,016 13,077 9,716 
			 March 8 16,066 13,955 11,998 
			 April 3 13,282 13,109 11,343 
			 May 6 14,341 13,162 12,176 
			 June 16 14,831 13,206 11,938 
			 July 21 14,853 14,623 11,775 
			 August 15 14,988 14,294 12,025 
			 September 24 12,929 13,767 11,449 
			 October 41 16,176 14,730 13,197 
			 November 32 15,342 14,392 12,945 
			 December 26 10,330 11,771 9,991 
			  
			  2002 
			 January 43 14,550 14,717 14,176 
			 February 40 15,373 13,519 10,005 
			 March 77 15,385 14,141 11,365 
			 April 106 15,309 13,477 13,191 
			 May 130 16,449 15,509 13,189 
			 June 77 12,418 12,298 10,904 
			 July 183 16,041 15,461 13,015 
			 August 123 14,759 13,769 12,188 
			 September 134 14,485 13,896 12,738 
			 October 226 16,553 15,751 13,308 
			 November 214 14,996 15,013 12,436 
			 December 196 10,906 13,429 10,947 
			  
			  2003 
			 January 177 14,627 14,621 15,605 
			 February 213 15,421 13,227 11,133 
			 March 234 16,164 14,504 12,817 
			 April 210 13,401 14,824 12,507 
			 May 287 13,712 13,303 13,189 
			 June 214 14,991 14,241 12,944 
			 July 264 15,475 15,150 13,667 
			 August 189 13,314 13,544 11,452 
			 September 232 14,740 13,873 13,081 
			 October 303 16,414 15,055 13,740 
			 November 311 13,417 13,177 12,078 
			 December 272 11,589 12,518 12,079 
			  
			  2004 
			 January 280 12,912 14,045 14,077 
			 February 257 15,319 12,943 11,564 
			 March 377 17,185 15,647 13,902 
			 April 890 13,576 13,973 12,577 
			 May 980 12,869 13,043 12,102 
			 June 1,055 14,567 14,493 13,352 
			 July 979 14,335 14,290 13,395 
			 August 1,020 13,604 14,971 12,206 
			 September 988 14,024 14,301 13,568 
			 October 949 13,712 12,746 12,685 
			 November 1,030 14,392 14,760 13,012 
			 December 913 10,845 11,122 11,347 
			  
			  2005 
			 January 911 10,988 13,374 13,558 
			 February 963 13,327 12,160 10,646 
			 March 975 13,568 13,605 12,206 
			 April 874 13,531 12,252 12,674 
			 May 924 12,147 12,731 11,055 
			 June 1,052 13,766 13,688 12,871 
			 July 981 12,247 12,802 11,726 
			 August 971 13,053 13,192 12,028 
			 September 877 13,170 12,410 12,194 
			 October 884 12,926 11,768 11,319 
			 November 1,012 13,588 12,788 11,908 
			 December 801 9,513 10,147 10,327 
			  
			  2006 
			 January 833 11,399 12,974 11,783 
			 February 880 12,615 11,773 10,142 
			 March 988 14,694 13,467 12,514 
			 April 724 10,775 11,757 10,143 
			 May 783 12,666 11,897 11,564 
			 June 916 13,228 12,105 11,452 
			 July 805 11,974 11,889 10,678 
			 August 804 12,922 12,155 11,413 
			 September 844 12,568 11,780 10,999 
			 October 841 13,112 12,565 11,275 
			 November 927 13,394 11,985 11,807 
			 December 750 9,217 10,895 9,387 
			  35,693 990,558 964,653 873,445

Dovegate Prison

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many staff were deployed to HM Prison Dovegate from other establishments during the disturbance on 2 February; and from what establishments they were deployed.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is no record of an incident occurring at Dovegate prison on 2 February. There is a record of a concerted indiscipline there on 29 January. The information requested from this incident is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Sending establishment  Amount of staff deployed 
			 Leicester 15 
			 Blakenhurst 15 
			 Stoke Heath 15 
			 Lowdham Grange 15 
			 Whatton 15 
			 Swinfen Hall 15 
			 Stafford 15 
			 Nottingham 15 
			 Birmingham 15 
			 Gartree 15 
			 Total 150

Elections: Internet

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what assessment she has made of the merits of introducing internet voting for  (a) general and  (b) council elections.

Bridget Prentice: The Government are firmly committed to increasing participation in the electoral process. Since 2000 we have supported 23 internet voting pilot schemes at selected local authority elections, which have allowed us to consider the benefits of new voting channels.
	The independent Electoral Commission is responsible for evaluating each scheme, and the Government have considered the Commission's findings in the development of their policy on electronic voting. We have not reached a firm decision on whether or not to roll out electronic voting beyond local election pilot schemes, but the evaluation of this year's pilot schemes will inform my Department's ongoing assessment.

Evidence

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what assessment she has made of the merits of filming evidence given by witnesses  (a) to the police and  (b) during a trial for use in appeal cases.

Harriet Harman: For some years video recorded statements have been admitted in court in the place of evidence-in-chief for children and vulnerable adult witnesses with the aim of assisting them to give their best evidence. Independent research commissioned by the Home Office and published in 2004 found that 91 per cent. of witnesses who gave evidence by means of a video recorded statement found this beneficial because: they did not have to appear in court, it made it easier to give their evidence, they were less scared, it helped them to remember information and it was given in a comfortable environment. (Hamlyn, Phelps, Turtle and Sattar: Are Special Measures Working? Evidence from surveys of vulnerable and intimidated witnessesLondon: Home Office Research Study No. 283 (June 2004), available at
	www.homeoffice.gov:uk/rds/pdfs04/hors283.pdf.
	No separate assessment has been made of the merits of filming witnesses giving evidence during trial, including the resource implications, although a limited investigation has been undertaken into the technology required.

Family Courts: Sexual Offences

Annette Brooke: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether the Government plan to introduce independent advocacy for children in family court cases where sexual abuse allegations have been made.

Harriet Harman: There are a number of provisions which allow a child to be separately represented in family proceedings.
	Research published in 2003 noted that 15 per cent. of care applications had allegations that the child is likely to suffer ill treatment by way of sexual abuse.(1) 12 per cent. of care applications showed that the child was suffering ill treatment by way of sexual abuse.
	Children involved in all public law proceedings, including care and supervision applications, are made a party to proceedings and are represented by an officer of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) and an independent solicitor.
	In private law proceedings where it appears to the court that a child ought to be separately represented, it can appoint a CAFCASS guardian, the official solicitor, or some other person. Section 37 of the Children Act 1989 provides for the court, in any family proceedings, to direct the local authority to investigate the child's circumstances where a question over the child's welfare has arisen, and the court feels a care or supervision order may be appropriate. This applies to any questions about the child's welfare.
	(1) Table 4.4, Significant Harm: Child Protection Litigation in a Multi-cultural setting. Dr. Julia Brophy, Charlie Owen and Dr. Jagbir Jhutti-Johal.

Judiciary: Retirement

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the mandatory retirement age is for  (a) judges and  (b) Law Lords.

Harriet Harman: For all judges first appointed to judicial office on or after 31 March 1995 the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993 provides that the normal retirement age is 70. The Act also contains transitional provisions for those judges first appointed to a judicial office before that date which provide for them to retain their pre-existing retirement age. That age depends upon the office held, generally being either age 70, the completed year of service after the 72nd birthday or age 75. For Law Lords, the retirement age under these transitional provisions is 75.

Judiciary: Retirement

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what procedures are in place for magistrates who wish to continue to work over the age of 70-years-old.

Harriet Harman: There are no procedures for former magistrates to continue to serve beyond their statutory retirement at 70.

Juries: Welsh Language

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice which  (a) persons and  (b) institutions have been consulted on the consultation paper The Use of Bilingual (English and Welsh Speaking) Jurors in certain Criminal Trials in Wales.

Harriet Harman: Copies of the consultation paper were sent to the following:
	Association of Chief Police Officers
	Council of Her Majesty's Circuit Judges
	Criminal Bar Association
	Crown Prosecution Service
	Cymdeithas yr laith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society)
	Department for Constitutional Affairs
	Electoral Commission
	General Council of the Bar
	Justice
	Law Society of England and Wales
	Liberty
	Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
	Lord Chancellor's Standing Committee for the Welsh Language
	Police Federation of England and Wales
	Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales
	Wales and Chester Circuit of the Bar
	Wales Criminal Law Association
	Welsh Assembly Government
	Welsh Language Board
	Whitehall Prosecutors Group
	Victim Support
	The consultation paper was also placed on the Home Office website and comments invited from the general public.
	The following individuals and organisations responded to the consultation:
	Council of Her Majesty's Circuit Judges
	Criminal Bar Association
	Crown Prosecution Service
	Cymdeithas yr laith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society)
	Electoral Commission
	Heini Gruffudd
	Hon. Mr. Justice Roderick Evans
	HH Judge John Rogers QC
	HH Judge Dafydd Hughes
	HH Judge Merfyn Hughes QC
	HH Judge Philip Richards
	HH Judge Roger Dutton
	HH Dewi Watkin Powell
	Dr. Catrin Fflur Huws
	Law Society's Wales Committee
	Lord Chancellor's Standing Committee for the Welsh Language
	Mr. Gwynedd Parry
	Plaid Cymru
	SOLACE Wales (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers)
	Standing Committee for Legal Wales
	Wales and Chester Circuit of the Bar
	Welsh Assembly Government
	Welsh Language Board
	Whitehall Prosecutors Group

Legal Advice and Assistance: Armed Forces

Roger Gale: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will bring forward proposals to improve the legal advice and service available to bereaved service families; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Funding for representation at most inquests is out of the usual scope of legal aid because of the inquisitorial nature and greater informality of the process in the coroner's courts. Legal help is, however, available subject to financial eligibility (and other usual tests set out in the Legal Services Commission's funding code) and this would cover all preparatory work, which may include drafting written submissions to the coroner. I met my right hon. Friend the Minister for the armed forces on 18 April to discuss a range of ways in which bereaved military families could be supported. Details of the support to families will be set out in a written ministerial statement to be issued shortly.

Magistrates: Recruitment

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many magistrates are expected to be recruited in 2007.

Harriet Harman: For the financial year 2007-08, the cumulative total of magistrates Advisory Committees are planning to recruit is 1,603. This is based on predicted business need.

Magistrates: Retirement

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether she has any plans to review the statutory retirement age for magistrates.

Harriet Harman: The Government have no plans to review the statutory retirement age of magistrates.

Magistrates: Retirement

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many magistrates are expected to retire in 2007.

Harriet Harman: 710 magistrates are expected to retire during the financial year 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008.

Offenders: Custodial Treatment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many offenders on  (a) parole and  (b) licence were recalled to prison in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Figures showing the numbers of offenders recalled from  (a) licence in respect of a determinate sentence, including parole and  (b) life licence to prison in the years between 1996-97 and 2005 can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Recalls of determinate sentences( 1) , taken from table 10.8 in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005 and from table 10.5 in Prison Statistics England and Wales 1999 
			  Number of recalls/percentage 
			  1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 
			 Parole cases 4 years or more   
			 Recalled 233 190 233 250 267 329 420 601 712 993 
			  As percentage of number on parole  12  8  11  10  10  11  13  17  17  21 
			
			 Non-parole cases 4 years or more   
			 Recalled   189 358 433 526 712 1,087 1,172 (2) 
			
			 All cases 1 to 4 years(3)38 1,637 3,439 4,950 6,415 6,378 (2) 
			
			 All cases 1 year plus(3) 2,457 4,369 6,323 8,133 8,262 8,678 
			 (1) Excluding home detention curfew recalls. (2) From 2005 ACR and OCR no longer collated separately. (3) Data supplied by Public Protection and Licensed Release Unit of the Home Office. 
		
	
	
		
			  Recalls from life licence( 1) , taken from table 10.9 in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005 England and Wales 
			  Number of recalls 
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
			 Life licence(1) 34 34 30 26 44 71 111 
			 (1) Inmates whose licences have been revoked and were recalled to custody excluding abscondees. 
		
	
	
		
			  Home detention curfew recalls 1999 to 2005, taken from table 10.7 of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics( 1) , England and Wales 
			  Number of recalls 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Males and females 700 769 673 1,479 2,716 3,003 2,627 
			 (1) Statistics found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1806section10.xls

Offenders: Electronic Tagging

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many offences were committed by tagged offenders in the London Borough of Bexley in each of last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Details of offences committed by offenders who were subject to the home detention curfew scheme is not broken down according to local government boundaries. To do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Pentonville Prison: Standards

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what mechanisms are in place to ensure that investigations into professional standards issues among staff at HM Prison Pentonville are conducted according to Prison Service Orders; if she will ensure that all relevant evidence is made available to staff facing disciplinary action for the preparation of their responses; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Commissioning Authority is responsible for monitoring compliance with the relevant PSO in the first instance. Oversight of service wide arrangements for dealing with investigations is provided by a committee chaired by the director of personnel.
	There is a general presumption that all relevant evidence is disclosed but the person conducting the hearing may withhold any piece of evidence if justified. In the event that it is judged necessary to withhold any evidence, grounds for doing so will be presented at the hearing.

Prison Accommodation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice when Lord Carter's review of short term prison place building plans and longer term issues affecting the prison estate will be completed; and when his report will be published.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Lord Carter of Coles has been asked to provide an assessment of the current plans for 8,000 new prison places and of the longer-term strategic issues affecting the custodial estate. Terms of reference for the review are in the process of being finalised. The review is expected to report in three months time.

Prisoner Escapes

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many prisoners absconded from HMP  (a) East Sutton Park and  (b) Askham Grange in each year since 1997; and how many remain at large.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is set out in the following table and covers the period from 1 April 1997 to 31 March 2007. Figures for 2006-07 are provisional and subject to validation. Currently there is no central record of absconders who are subsequently returned to custody. Recaptures reflect police rather than Prison Service performance and the data have not been held centrally for this reason.
	
		
			  Number of absconds from East Sutton Park prison and Askham Grange prison between 1 April 1997 to 31 March 2007 
			   East Sutton Park  Askham Grange 
			 1997-98 5 35 
			 1998-99 3 17 
			 1999-2000 3 20 
			 2000-01 3 21 
			 2001-02 3 19 
			 2002-03 0 12 
			 2003-04 1 31 
			 2004-05 2 12 
			 2005-06 4 14 
			 2006-07 2 7

Prisoner Escapes

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many prisoners absconded from HMP  (a) Ford and  (b) Hewell Grange in each year since 1997; and how many of those remain at large.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is set out in the following table and covers the period from 1 April 1997 to 31 March 2007. Figures for 2006-07 are provisional and subject to validation. Currently there is no central record of absconders who are subsequently returned to custody. Recaptures reflect police rather than Prison Service performance and the data have not been held centrally for this reason.
	
		
			  Number of absconds from Ford prison and Hewell Grange prison between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 2007 
			   Ford  Hewell Grange 
			 1997-98 53 40 
			 1998-99 40 17 
			 1999-2000 68 32 
			 2000-01 57 20 
			 2001-02 57 15 
			 2002-03 91 23 
			 2003-04 142 31 
			 2004-05 110 24 
			 2005-06 96 24 
			 2006-07 62 13

Prisoner Escapes

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many prisoners absconded from  (a) HM Prison Hollesley Bay and  (b) HM Prison Kirkham in each year since 1997; and how many of those in each case remain at large.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is set out in the following table and covers the period from 1 April 1997 to 31 March 2007. Figures for 2006-07 are provisional and subject to validation. Currently there is no central record of absconders who are subsequently returned to custody. Recaptures reflect police rather than Prison Service performance and the data have not been held centrally for this reason.
	
		
			  Number of absconds from Hollesley Bay prison and Kirkham prison between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 2007 
			   Hollesley Bay  Kirkham 
			 1997-98 13 234 
			 1998-99 25 202 
			 1999-2000 11 171 
			 2000-01 24 169 
			 2001-02 8 163 
			 2002-03 14 208 
			 2003-04 36 213 
			 2004-05 32 120 
			 2005-06 16 74 
			 2006-07 21 54

Prisoner Escapes

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many prisoners absconded from  (a) HMP North Sea Camp and  (b) HMP Leyhill in each year since 1997; and how many of those remain at large.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is set out in the following table and covers the period from 1 April 1997 to 31 March 2007. Figures for 2006-07 are provisional and subject to validation.
	Currently there is no central record of absconders who are subsequently returned to custody. Recaptures reflect police rather than Prison Service performance and the data have not been held centrally for this reason.
	
		
			   North Sea Camp  Leyhill 
			 1997-98 25 20 
			 1998-99 32 25 
			 1999-2000 27 34 
			 2000-01 24 25 
			 2001-02 36 19 
			 2002-03 34 33 
			 2003-04 79 114 
			 2004-05 33 102 
			 2005-06 49 66 
			 2006-07 48 37

Prisoners' Release

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 249W, on prisoners' release, how many and what percentage of prisoners released under the Home Detention Curfew scheme  (a) breached the rules of their curfew and  (b) were recalled to prison in each year since 1999.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The figures requested can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  Prisoners released on home detention curfew 1999 to 2005, with recalls 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Total number released on HDC 14,847 15,510 13,649 20,456 21,188 19,294 17,296 
			 Total recalls, males and females 700 769 673 1,479 2,716 3,003 2,627 
			 Breach of HDC conditions   364 814 1,460 1,710 1,722 
			 Answer to part  (a) of question (breach of HDC conditionspercentage)   3.0 4.0 7.0 9.0 10.0 
			 Answer to part  (b) of question (total recallspercentage) 5.0 5.0 5.0 7.0 13.0 16.0 15.0 
			 Note: Some of those recalled may have been released in a previous year.  Source: Figures taken from tables 10.3 and 10.7 of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005 at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1806section10.xls 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Assessments

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what guidance is provided to  (a) publicly and  (b) privately run prisons on procedures for making assessments of prisoners on entry to prison.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All prisons, whether managed by the public sector or contracted out, are required to conduct initial assessments of prisoners on their entry to the prison, as set out in the Prison Service Order on Reception (PSO 0500). These include assessments of the prisoner's physical and mental health, the risk of harm (including self-harm) to the prisoner and others, his or her security status, and any immediate personal needs.
	Prison and Healthcare staff on reception in closed establishments use the cell-sharing risk assessment (CSRA) to assess the risk a prisoner could pose to another prisoner in shared accommodation, based on the information that accompanies the prisoner and through a prisoner interview. Guidance is incorporated into the CSRA form and in the guidance packs available to staff on the Prison Service intranet.

Prisoners: Costs

Michael Jack: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the  (a) energy cost and  (b) average number of prisoners per annum was in each prison for which her Department has responsibility in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Figures on energy costs in each prison establishment within England and Wales and the average numbers of prisoners within prison establishments in England and Wales can be found in the following table.
	The figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			  Annual average population of prison establishments in England and Wales 2004-06 
			   2004  2005  2006 
			 Acklington 862 869 838 
			 Albany 514 522 524 
			 Altcourse(1) 984 937 1,002 
			 Ashfield(1) 286 314 363 
			 Ashwell 529 541 539 
			 Askham Grange 122 99 113 
			 Aylesbury 355 406 438 
			 Bedford 484 477 478 
			 Belmarsh(1) 907 906 918 
			 Birmingham 1,384 1,400 1,440 
			 Blakenhurst(1) 869 1,012 1,054 
			 Blantyre House 117 117 120 
			 Blundestone 457 457 460 
			 Brinsford(1) 451 452 469 
			 Bristol(1) 587 597 600 
			 Brixton 821 804 804 
			 Brockhill(1) 136 124 124 
			 Bronzefield(1) 176 421 423 
			 Buckley Hall 319 254 350 
			 Bullingdon(1) 950 962 958 
			 Bullwood Hall(1) 151 145 144 
			 Camp Hill 568 582 584 
			 Canterbury 302 296 285 
			 Cardiff 685 743 744 
			 Castington(1) 343 367 374 
			 Channings Wood 648 654 655 
			 Chelmsford(1) 572 580 579 
			 Coldingley 384 386 388 
			 Cookham Wood(1) 142 167 181 
			 Dartmoor 606 613 614 
			 Deerbolt 455 407 416 
			 Doncaster(1) 1,104 1,076 1,105 
			 Dorchester(1) 226 240 250 
			 Dovegate 845 799 831 
			 Dover 270 283 278 
			 Downview(1) 210 249 340 
			 Drake Hall(1) 283 284 269 
			 Durham* 691 717 872 
			 East Sutton Park(1) 96 96 91 
			 Eastwood Park(1) 292 288 326 
			 Edmunds Hill(1) 173 181 351 
			 Elmley(1) 959 979 983 
			 Erlestoke 417 420 424 
			 Everthorpe 459 544 660 
			 Exeter 516 515 506 
			 Featherstone 607 606 608 
			 Feltham(1) 654 605 612 
			 Ford 513 520 445 
			 Forest Bank(1) 1,017 1,029 1,036 
			 Foston Hall(1) 226 219 232 
			 Frankland 668 707 705 
			 Full Sutton 601 595 576 
			 Garth 653 649 612 
			 Gartree 407 448 521 
			 Glen Parva(1) 733 772 783 
			 Gloucester 300 283 297 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill(1) 528 526 536 
			 Guys Marsh(1) 544 557 567 
			 Haslar 119 132 144 
			 Haverigg 553 549 561 
			 Hewell Grange 163 161 160 
			 Highdown(1) 741 735 742 
			 Highpoint 804 799 810 
			 Hindley(1) 482 399 424 
			 Hollesley Bay(1) 276 273 272 
			 Holloway(1) 427 436 444 
			 Holme House(1) 957 970 977 
			 Hull(1) 1,060 1,020 986 
			 Huntercombe 353 348 349 
			 Kingston (Portsmouth) 137 173 192 
			 Kirkham 522 495 451 
			 Kirklevington 220 219 221 
			 Lancaster 210 238 236 
			 Lancaster Farms(1) 495 505 514 
			 Latchmere House 196 201 184 
			 Leeds 1,235 1,221 1,135 
			 Leicester 364 348 339 
			 Lewes(1) 499 523 534 
			 Leyhill 489 480 366 
			 Lincoln 453 467 471 
			 Lindholme(1) 693 782 883 
			 Littlehey 691 696 692 
			 Liverpool 1,405 1,351 1,311 
			 Long Lartin 429 438 437 
			 Low Newton(1) 303 254 258 
			 Lowdham Grange 517 505 535 
			 Maidstone 543 546 576 
			 Manchester 1,227 1,235 1,237 
			 Moorland Open(1) 237 231 237 
			 Moorland(1) 753 755 766 
			 Morton Hall 333 293 330 
			 New Hall(1) 353 343 348 
			 North Sea Camp 277 284 265 
			 Northallerton 216 177 219 
			 Norwich(1) 735 778 746 
			 Nottingham 504 503 509 
			 Onley(1) 474 510 579 
			 Parc(1) 1,001 987 1,032 
			 Parkhurst(1) 485 503 504 
			 Pentonville 1,201 1,179 1,084 
			 Peterborough  477 830 
			 Portland(1) 454 409 479 
			 Preston 641 595 641 
			 Ranby 842 981 1,025 
			 Reading(1) 261 275 278 
			 Risley 1,055 1,059 1,072 
			 Rochester 324 381 386 
			 Rye Hill 655 591 594 
			 Send 213 212 209 
			 Shepton Mallet 185 182 185 
			 Shrewsbury 315 285 332 
			 Stafford 658 673 672 
			 Standford Hill 436 445 420 
			 Stocken 616 612 614 
			 Stoke Heath(1) 636 633 644 
			 Styal(1) 402 392 435 
			 Sudbury 543 545 542 
			 Swaleside 773 775 776 
			 Swansea 328 410 414 
			 Swinfen Hall(1) 377 542 607 
			 The Mount 742 700 717 
			 The Verne 576 582 581 
			 The Weare 364 171  
			 The Wolds 352 301 319 
			 Thorn Cross(1) 257 241 238 
			 Usk/Prescoed(1) 406 413 403 
			 Wakefield 554 553 708 
			 Wandsworth 1,451 1,435 1,466 
			 Warren Hill(1) 204 202 210 
			 Wayland 693 697 697 
			 Wealstun(1) 642 783 794 
			 Wellingborough 516 550 607 
			 Werrington 138 130 145 
			 Wetherby(1) 306 334 339 
			 Whatton 354 354 636 
			 Whitemoor 425 438 444 
			 Winchester(1) 628 674 700 
			 Woodhill(1) 770 762 767 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 1,239 1,234 1,243 
			 Wymott 975 1,041 1,043 
			 Total 74,657 75,979 78,127 
			 Police cells   22 
			 (1 )denotes establishments used for more than one purpose  Note: Components will not add up to totals because they have been compiled and rounded independently. Energy costs tables will be placed in the Library.

Prisoners: Iran

Lady Hermon: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many Iranian nationals were detained in UK prisons  (a) on remand and  (b) as serving prisoners in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The requested figures are in the following table.
	
		
			  Iranian national prisoners held within prison establishments in England and Wales, 2002 to 2006 
			  As at 30 June each year  Non-criminal or fine defaulter  Untried or convicted unsentenced  Sentenced  Total 
			 2002 10 18 31 59 
			 2003 10 16 50 76 
			 2004 17 19 45 81 
			 2005 27 28 73 128 
			 2006 27 48 97 172 
			  Note: Non-criminal prisoners would include those held in contempt of courts and those held under the 1971 Immigration Act. 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: ICT

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what problems were incurred by prison establishments as a consequence of difficulties in implementing the i-procurement IT system; how long these problems took to resolve; which prison establishments were affected; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There were no problems implementing iProcurement. Three software faults developed in November 2006 and the system was suspended to enable them to be rectified. iProcurement was unavailable for the period 8-20 November 2006. Prison establishments encountered no difficulties in placing orders as contingency plans were implemented to provide continuity.
	The establishments affected are detailed as follows.
	 Prison establishments without iProcurement between 8 and 20 November 2006
	HMP Belmarsh
	HMP Swansea
	HMP Frankland
	HMP Usk
	HMP Full Sutton
	HMP Frescoed
	HMP Long Latin
	HMP Bristol
	HMP Manchester
	HMP Channings Wood
	HMP Wakefield
	HMP Dartmoor
	HMP Whitemoor
	HMP Dorchester
	HMP Woodhill
	HMP Cardiff
	HMP Everthorpe
	HMP Norwich
	HMP Wealstun
	HMP Pentonville
	HMP Highpoint
	HMP Lindholme
	HMP Brixton
	HMP Blundeston
	HMP Albany
	HMP The Mount
	HMP Grendon
	HMP Maidstone
	HMP Blantyre House
	HMP Coldingley
	HMP Huntercombe
	HMP Swaleside
	HMP East Sutton Park
	HMP Elmley
	HMP Lewes
	HMP Ashwell
	HMP Earlstoke
	HMP Foston Hall
	HMP Exeter
	HMP Gartree
	HMP Gloucester
	HMP Glen Parva
	HMP Guy Marsh
	HMP Leicester
	HMP Leyhill
	HMP Lincoln
	HMP Portland
	HMP Morton Hall
	HMP Shepton Mallet
	HMP North Sea Camp
	HMP Eastwood Park
	HMP Northallerton
	HMP Latchmere House
	HMP Edmunds Hill
	HMP Leeds
	HMP Wayland
	HMP Bedford
	HMP Wormwood Scrubs
	HMP Littlehey
	HMP New Hall
	HMP Holloway
	HMP Reading
	HMP Spring Hill
	HMP Rochester
	HMP Canterbury
	HMP Downview
	HMP Kingston
	HMP Parkhurst
	HMP Nottingham
	HMP Durham
	HMP Onley
	HMP Acklington
	HMP Ranby
	HMP Castington
	HMP Stocken
	HMP Deerbolt
	HMP Sudbury
	HMP Holme House
	HMP Wellingborough
	HMP Kirklevington
	HMP Whatton
	HMP Low Newton
	HMP Askham Grange
	HMP The Verne
	HMP Chelmsford
	HMP Hull
	HMP Warren Hill
	HMP Wetherby
	HMP Wandsworth
	HMP Hollesley Bay
	HMP Moorland
	HMP Feltham
	HMP Bullwood Hall
	HMP Camp Hill
	HMP Send
	HMP Winchester
	HMP Haslar
	HMP Standford Hill
	HMP Cookham Wood
	HMP High Down

Prisons: Smuggling

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the maximum penalty is for trafficking unauthorised articles into prison establishments; how many people were convicted of this offence in each of the last five years; what average sentence was imposed; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Trafficking unauthorised articles into prison establishments is not listed as a separate offence on the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.
	The data provided in the following table give total number of defendants found guilty of selected offences under the Prison Act 1952, a sentence breakdown, the average custodial sentence length and average fine for both sets of offences as set out in the note of the table. Maximum penalties are also shown with this note.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts, sentence breakdown, average custodial sentence lengths, and average fines for selected offences under the 1952 Prison Act, England and Wales, 2001 to 2005( 1,2) 
			   Sentence breakdown 
			   Found guilty  Sentenced  Absolute discharge  Conditional discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Immediate custody  Otherwise dealt with  Average custodial sentence (months)  Average fine () 
			 2001 23 23  2 20  1  3.0 117 
			 2002 20 20  1 14 1 4  9.0 100 
			 2003 18 17 1 5 9 1 1  4.0 161 
			 2004 8 8  1 6 1   n/a 259 
			 2005 17 17  3 9 2 2 1 18.0 116 
			 n/a = not applicable. (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Note: The above table shows data for the following two offences; The summary offence (195/46) comprises; Conveying spirits into prison, Conveying tobacco into prison, Attempting to convey spirits into prison, Attempting to convey tobacco into prison, Placing liquor/tobacco outside prison with intent, Office allowing liquor/tobacco to be sold, Office allowing liquor/tobacco to be used, Placing letter/thing outside prison with intent, Conveying an article to a prisoner and Attempting to convey an article to a prisoner. The maximum penalty for this offence is six months in prison and or a 1,000 fine. The indictable offence (099/99) comprises Aiding a prisoner to escape, Aiding a prisoner to attempt to escape, Conveying article to prisoner to facilitate escape, Placing article outside prison to facilitate escape and Sending article into prison or prisoner to facilitate escape. The maximum penalty for this offence is 10 years in prison.

Probation

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many community probation projects have been visited by Ministers from her Department in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: Since the creation of the Ministry of Justice on 9 May, Justice Ministers have made two visits to such projects. Before this, my right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor made three such visits in the course of DCA business and my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Sutcliffe) made four such visits in the course of Home Office business.

Repossession Orders: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many orders for repossessions were  (a) applied for and  (b) granted to Warrington Borough Council or Golden Gates Housing in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Harriet Harman: The following table shows the number of orders for landlord possession applied for and granted to Warrington Borough Council for each year since 2002. Golden Gates Housing has managed homes on behalf of Warrington Borough Council since 2004. It acts as the representative in possession orders applied for and granted in the name of Warrington Borough Council.
	
		
			  Number of possession orders( 1)  applied for and granted to Warrington Borough Council, 2002-2006 
			   Applied for  Granted to 
			 2002 495 291 
			 2003 314 287 
			 2004 239 210 
			 2005 263 185 
			 2006 274 237 
			 (1 )The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. 
		
	
	These figures do not indicate how many properties have been repossessed through the courts, since not all orders result in the properties actually being repossessed.

Voting Behaviour

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what steps she is taking to encourage voter participation in  (a) general and  (b) council elections.

Bridget Prentice: Section 69 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 gives new powers to electoral officers, enabling them to promote participation in the electoral process, through registering and voting. The Government have provided additional funding for this purpose, which can be claimed by electoral officers.
	In addition, the Government have also introduced a new duty on electoral registration officers to ensure that electors in their local area are registered, and we have extended the registration deadline to 11 days before the day of poll at both national and local elections.
	The Electoral Commission also has a role in promoting participation in the electoral process.

Young Offenders

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what estimate she has made of the number of young offenders with  (a) a drug dependency problem and  (b) a mental health problem.

Bridget Prentice: A survey carried out in 2001(1) reported that 76 per cent. of young offenders (aged 18 to 21) were dependent on at least one drug, as defined by the severity of dependence scale (SDS).
	Information about the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among young offenders can be found in Psychiatric Morbidity among Young Offenders in England and Wales, Office for National Statistics, 2000. Copies are available in the Library and on the Office for National Statistics website at
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/PyscMorbYoungOffenders97.pdf.
	 Source:
	(1) Borrill, J., Maden, A., Martin, A., Weaver, T., Stimson, G., Farrell, M. and Barnes, T. (2003) Differential substance misuse treatment needs of women, ethnic minorities and young offenders in prison: prevalence of substance misuse and treatment needs. Online report 33/03, Home Office.

Young Offenders: Counselling

Annette Brooke: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how much was spent on  (a) routine assessment and  (b) therapeutic interventions for young people with experiences of (i) abuse and neglect and (ii) witnessing domestic violence who were referred to youth offending teams by courts or police in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: The information requested is not available. Youth offending teams are a multi-agency partnership whose statutory partners include health, education and social services. Youth offending teams are therefore equipped to identify and respond to the needs of young people with whom they have contact, including where specific vulnerabilities have been identified through the assessment process.

Young Offenders: Dyspraxia

David Heyes: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what progress has been made in diagnosing dyspraxia and related conditions in young offender institutions since 1997.

Bridget Prentice: The commissioning responsibility for prison health services is now fully devolved to national health service primary care trusts. Referrals to specialist services, such as those for dyspraxia, are made on the basis of individual need as they are in the wider community.
	Since April 2005, all prisons provide health screening for first time receptions into custody. This new triage-based screening procedure consists of an initial short screen by health care staff to identify any immediate health issues. If a prisoner screens positive for one of four categoriesmental health; suicide and self-harm; physical health; substance misusea further assessment using evidence based protocols will be carried out by an appropriate member of the primary care team. All prisoners are offered a further general health assessment in the week following reception.
	A health screen for specific use with children and young people is currently being piloted. One of the key purposes of this is to identify physical health, substance misuse and mental health needs within five days of intake resulting in a comprehensive health care plan shared by all healthcare staff.
	Dyspraxia can also be identified through the learning needs assessment screening all young offenders receive to assess their educational requirements.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Central Asia

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on Central Asian foreign nationals fighting in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friends the Defence Secretary and Foreign Secretary regularly hold meetings on the full range of issues relating to Afghanistan. The UK continues to promote regional stability, including in Afghanistan, with all the relevant Central Asian countries.

Alan Johnston

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department has taken to secure the release of the captured BBC correspondent Alan Johnston; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: We remain actively engaged in efforts to secure the release of Alan Johnston. We are in close touch with the BBC and Alan's family. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.
	We are working closely with the Palestinian Authority. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I have spoken to Palestinian President Abbas, and the British Consul-General in Jerusalem has met President Abbas and Prime Minister Haniya.
	We are extremely concerned by the kidnap of Alan Johnston. We have called for his unconditional release and continue to do so.

Alexander Litvinenko

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions her Department has had with the Crown Prosecution Service on the case of Alexander Litvinenko.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been involved in a number of cross-Whitehall meetings on the case of Alexander Litvinenko. Some of these meetings included officials from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). But these meetings were not concerned with the decision-making on this case. This decision was made by the CPS after a careful review of the evidence presented to it by the police and in accordance with the evidential and public interest tests set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

Alexander Litvinenko

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions her Department has had with the Russian authorities on the case of Alexander Litvinenko in the last three months.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has had a number of contacts with the Russian authorities at both ministerial and official level over the last three months, in which the Litvinenko case has been discussed. We have made it clear in these contacts that this is a judicial matter on which we expect satisfactory co-operation from the Russian authorities.

Burma: Human Rights

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to encourage improvement in Myanmar's record on human rights.

Ian McCartney: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) identifies Burma as a country of concern in our 2006 Annual Report on Human Rights. The Government's policy is to promote full respect for human rights in Burma encouraging the rule of law, democracy and good governance, and the freedom of association and speech in accordance with international human rights law.
	We have been at the forefront of international efforts over many years to bring pressure to bear on the military regime to re-establish democracy and to respect human rights. We take every opportunity to raise human rights issues with the regime and remind them of their obligations to adhere to international human rights law. Our embassy in Rangoon also delivers capacity building assistance through the FCO Global Opportunities Fund in support of these objectives.
	I have raised the human rights situation regularly with the Burmese regime and other Governments in the region. On 16 June 2006, I called in the Burmese ambassador and on 5 July 2006 I wrote to the Burmese Foreign Minister, highlighting our many concerns. On 18 September 2006, I raised the serious human rights situation with Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) ambassadors, including the Burmese ambassador, and on 4 December 2006 with the ASEAN Secretary-General. I have also raised Burma with the Governments of China, India, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea. I have discussed the human rights abuses taking place in Burma with Juan Mndez, the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. I discussed Burma in detail with Ibrahim Gambari, the UN Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, on 15 November 2006, following his visit to the country. I raised the human rights situation in Burma in my address to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on 13 March and at the EU/ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Nuremberg on 15 March, in the presence of the Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister.
	In addition, our ambassador in Rangoon regularly raises human rights with the regime, most recently when he met the Burmese Ministers for Planning and Immigration and the Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister on 5 January.
	The UK also works closely with the EU and other international partners, including the UN and ASEAN, to promote human rights in Burma and fully supports the efforts of the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma, Professor Sergio Pinheiro. We supported the efforts to have Burma added to the UN Security Council agenda in September 2006 and co-sponsored with the US a UN Security Council Resolution on Burma. This was put to the vote on 12 January. Nine members of the Security Council supported the Resolution. However, three states, including two permanent members of the Council, voted against and as such the Resolution was not adopted. While the result was disappointing, it is important to note that all Security Council members agreed that there were serious issues of concern in Burma. This, and the positive votes from the majority of Security Council partners, reflected the international community's deep concern over the plight of Burma's people. Burma remains on the UN Security Council agenda.
	Most recently, on 23 April, the EU Council of Ministers issued a statement expressing its deep concern about the Burmese regime's continuing violations of human rights and the lack of progress towards establishing a legitimate civilian government. In its statement, the Council also called for the Burmese Government to make progress towards national reconciliation and engage constructively with all political parties and ethnic groups.

Burma: Natural Gas

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government have had with the Governments of  (a) India,  (b) China and  (c) South Korea on the Shwe gas project in Burma.

Ian McCartney: We have not discussed the Shwe gas project with the Governments of India, China or South Korea.
	However, we regularly raise Burma's appalling human rights record with its neighbours, including India, China and South Korea.
	I discussed the human rights situation in Burma with the Chinese Government on 20 June 2006 and again during my visit to Beijing in July 2006. I raised my concerns with the South Korean Government on 20 July 2006 and on 4 September 2006. I spoke to the Indian Government about Burma on 20 June 2006 and 27 November 2006.
	Most recently, I raised the human rights situation directly with the Burmese Foreign Minister at the Asia-Europe Meeting Foreign Ministers meeting in Hamburg on 28 May.

Burma: Politics and Government

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the building of a military bunker near the new capital of Burma.

Ian McCartney: We have received no verifiable reports on the building of a military bunker near Burma's new administrative capital, Naypyitaw. Naypyitaw is located adjacent to a major military zone. It is one of many areas of the country to which access is tightly controlled.

Cyprus: Military Bases

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the land in the Dhekelia sovereign base in Cyprus is owned  (a) privately and  (b) by the UK Government.

Derek Twigg: I have been asked to reply.
	The sovereign base area of Dhekelia covers 50.5 square miles. Figures from 2003, the latest available, show the composition of land ownership at that time was as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Private land 63.6 
			 UK Government land 36.4

Democratic Republic of Congo: Peace Keeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will place in the Library copies of the reports submitted by the  (a) United Kingdom and  (b) EU to the Security Council Committee established pursuant to the Resolution 1736 (2006) on the action required under Clause 18 (a) of UNSCR 1737 with a view to implementing that resolution effectively.

Margaret Beckett: The UK and EU reports on implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1737 (2006) have been circulated as UN documents to members of the UN Sanctions Committee. The Committee's proceedings are closed and it is customary to respect the confidentiality of circulated documents. It would not therefore be appropriate to make the reports publicly available. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) informs Parliament annually of the domestic and EU legislative measures in force to implement sanctions. The next report is due in the autumn but a table showing these legislative measures is available on the FCO website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/SANCTIONS%20REGIMES%20Oct%202006.pdf.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Peace Keeping Operations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the current status is of the 2006 UN investigation into United Nations peacekeeping troops selling weapons to Congolese militia groups.

Ian McCartney: The UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) has said that the allegations that peacekeepers based in the Ituri district were engaging in gold and weapons trafficking was brought to its attention in 2006. Following this, the UN's Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS-Nairobi) initiated a full inquiry, independently from MONUC, in accordance with its mandate to investigate instances of serious misconduct.
	The UN Secretary-General's spokesperson stated on 23 May that the investigation is almost complete and that the final report is going through a quality control procedure. Upon completion of its investigation, OIOS will pass its report and recommendations to the UN Department of Peace Keeping Operations, for appropriate action with the troop contributing countries of the concerned contingent personnel.
	The allegations are of concern, and it is entirely proper that they should be investigated in line with UN procedures. Officials in our Mission in New York are pressing the UN to complete their investigations as soon as possible.

Departments: Epilepsy

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people with epilepsy are employed by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: We do not require staff who suffer from epilepsy to report their illness to us. We therefore have no record of the number of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff with epilepsy. Staff who do inform either their managers or our trained welfare officers that they suffer from epilepsy are given advice and assistance in confidence. We also maintain a network of staff in each FCO building who are trained to give first aid in an emergency.

Departments: Languages

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will publish the new language teaching business model.

Geoff Hoon: The invitation to tender for the provision of language training for Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff will set out explicitly the specifications for delivering language training and will be available through the FCO website:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid=l173560622480.

Departments: Languages

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in her Department she expects to be trained in a foreign language in each of the first three years of the new language teaching business model; in how many languages training will be available in each year; and what proportion of training will be carried out overseas in each year.

Geoff Hoon: At present the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has around 900 overseas jobs requiring specific levels of language skills, although this number will fluctuate to reflect business need.
	The 22 languages identified as having the highest strategic importance are: French, Spanish (Latin American and European), German, Portuguese (Brazilian and European), Russian, Turkish, Italian, Arabic, Urdu, Dari, Farsi, Pashtu, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Indonesian, Burmese, Thai and Vietnamese.
	The proportion of language training carried out overseas varies between languages, but it is proposed that in-country training will increase from current levels for those requiring a high proficiency level.

Embassies: Telephone Services

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which non-premium rate telephone numbers are available to members of the public who wish to contact the British embassy in the United States.

Ian McCartney: Our embassy in Washington has two non-premium rate telephone numbers that are advertised to the general public. The embassy's main number is 202 588 6500, and the number of the embassy's consular section is 202 588 7800. Both numbers are prefaced with recorded messages to help direct callers to the information that they need, including the website www.britainusa.com. The messages also point callers to the premium lines that have been established to deal with passport, visa and UK information inquiries. Callers with urgent consular inquiries, and those who wish to ask about UK nationality or registration, are asked to wait on the line and speak to a trained call-handler.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 389-90W, on entry clearance: overseas students, what the reasons were for the increase in the fees for student visas; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: UKvisas recovers its costs from visa fee income and receives no taxpayer subsidy for its operations. Costs have risen, the reasons including the implementation of extra checks abroad, the increased use of visas supported by biometric capture and improvements to customer service. These increased costs have been reflected in the increase in visa fees from 1 April 2007, including student visas. Fee increases have been underpinned by public consultation on the principles for charging and by extensive customer research. The student visa fee increase has been held down as far as possible.

Equatorial Guinea

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government plan to open a mission in Equatorial Guinea; and what recent assessment she has made of relations between the UK Government and the Government of Equatorial Guinea.

Ian McCartney: There are currently no plans to open a UK mission in Equatorial Guinea.
	The UK has normal diplomatic relations with Equatorial Guinea. We are officially represented by the high commissioner in Nigeria who is the non-resident ambassador to Equatorial Guinea.

Ethiopia: Entry Clearances

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many appeals against refusal to grant entry clearance at the British embassy, Addis Ababa have been upheld in the last 12 months; and of these how many visas have not yet been issued by the embassy following such appeals.

Kim Howells: The total number of appeals that were upheld in the financial year 2006-07 was 523. In 65 of these cases visas have not yet been issued by our embassy in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia: Kidnapping

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she expects to receive reports from those diplomats in the Ethiopian Embassy who were involved in the recent kidnapping.

Ian McCartney: I was delighted with the news that the five officials from our Embassy in Addis Ababa and family members were released on 13 March. I was also pleased that the Ethiopians kidnapped at the same time were released on 22 April.
	Upon their release, the five Embassy officials and family members made an internal report, but declared that they did not want to go public with their experiences. We will respect this. The Ethiopian authorities have not provided us with any further reports on the kidnapping and the release of their citizens.

European Satellite Centre

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the funding of the European Satellite Centre in Madrid came from the United Kingdom in 2006.

Geoff Hoon: In 2006, the United Kingdom's contribution to the European Satellite Centre amounted to 17.3 per cent. of the centre's total budget of 10.557 million.

Galileo Project

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to meet European foreign ministers to discuss the Galileo Global Positioning Satellite system.

Geoff Hoon: The Department for Transport leads the Government's involvement in the Galileo programme. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Transport, is due to discuss Galileo with his counterparts at the next EU Transport Council in June.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the new air terminal in Gibraltar on its economy.

Geoff Hoon: While questions on the economy of Gibraltar are matters for the Government of Gibraltar, we hope that enhanced use of Gibraltar airport will benefit the social and economic development of both Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar, and will lead to improved employment and commercial opportunities for both areas.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Spainish counterparts on Gibraltar in the past 12 months.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and myself have met Spanish counterparts on a number of occasions over the last 12 months. Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary hosted a visit of the Spanish Foreign Minister to the UK in March. Ministers also routinely meet EU colleagues at General Affairs and External Relations Council meetings.
	Discussions, including at official level, cover a range of issues, including Gibraltar. Discussions focussed on Gibraltar ahead of the Trilateral Ministerial in Cordoba in September 2006 at which agreement was met on a series of practical benefits for all people living in the region.

Global Opportunities Fund

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent on each Global Opportunities Fund project in financial year 2006-07.

Geoff Hoon: Spend on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Global Opportunities Fund programmes in financial year 2006-07 was as follows:
	
		
			   Amount ( million) 
			 Climate change and energy 4.6 
			 Counter-terrorism 7.1 
			 Drugs and crime 6.6 
			 Economic governance 4.8 
			 Engaging with the Islamic world 8.6 
			 Human rights 3.4 
			 Migration 1.9 
			 Overseas territories 4.6 
			 Reuniting Europe 5.6 
			 Sustainable development 1.6 
		
	
	In addition, the Global Opportunities Fund contributed 16.3 million to the Afghan counter-narcotics programme.
	Until the FCO accounts close in July, these figures are subject to further end-of-year adjustments.

Global Opportunities Fund

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had on future funding for the Global Opportunities Fund; and what the timetable is for allocation of funding for the next five years.

Geoff Hoon: Future funding for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Global Opportunities Fund (GOF) will be considered as part of the FCO's Resource Allocation Round for 2008-09 to 2010-11 once the outcome of the comprehensive spending review is known. The GOF is an increasingly important tool for the delivery of the Government's strategic priorities, enabling us to fund projects that can help to transform a given debate or issue in priority countries.

Missile Defence Systems

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her US counterparts on the deployment of limited missile capabilities in Europe; what proposals are under discussion; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: I have not discussed the extension of the US missile defence system to Europe with the US Secretary of State.
	The US has proposed the siting of 10 interceptors in Poland and a surveillance radar in the Czech Republic. Details of these deployments are subject to bilateral negotiations between these countries and the US. However, the US has made clear that the siting of US assets in Europe could contribute to any future NATO system and the US regularly discusses its plans for missile defence with NATO.
	The UK is discussing a number of ways in which we might participate further in the US missile defence system. We already contribute to the US missile defence system through the provision of the radar at RAF Fylingdales. Officials regularly discuss and review UK participation in the US system as it develops but discussions are at an early stage and there are no formal proposals.
	The issue of when and how to develop a collective alliance territorial missile defence system has also been under discussion in NATO. At the NATO summit last year at Riga it was agreed that there should be further study into territorial missile defence for NATO.

Chagos Islanders

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to enable the Chagos Islanders to return to the British Indian Ocean Territories; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Ministers will consider the 23 May judgment of the Court of Appeal carefully and have in this regard asked officials for further advice. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reserves the right to petition the House of Lords to grant permission to appeal, as she is entitled to do within one month. The Government's policy in relation to the British Indian Ocean Territory therefore remains the subject of possible ongoing legal proceedings and it would be inappropriate to comment further.

International Conferences: Robert Mugabe

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK plans to oppose the invitation of President Mugabe of Zimbabwe to the EU-Africa summit in Lisbon in 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: We have made our views on Zimbabwean representation at the summit clear to our EU partners. We are looking to the presidency for a solution on Zimbabwean attendance that is consistent with the EU Common Position on Zimbabwe.

Iran

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2007,  Official Report, column 84W, on Iran, whether any changes to the flexibility about the modalities for opening negotiations were proposed by  (a) Mr. Javier Solana and  (b) Mr. Ali Larijani during their meetings of 25 and 26 April 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The UN Security Council has set out on behalf of the international community its requirements of Iran. These requirements are not negotiable. However, the UK, together with their partners in the E3+3 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United States and the High Representative of the European Union), remain willing to explore flexibly the modalities of how to begin discussions with Iran on the basis of the established position of suspension for suspension. This would involve Iran suspending its enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, as required by the UN Security Council, while the Security Council would suspend implementation of measures adopted under Security Council Resolutions 1737 and 1747.
	In their meeting on 25 April, Dr. Solana explored what flexibility might be available in terms of the process leading up to negotiations, but Dr. Larijani was not able to respond.

Iran: Nuclear Weapons

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures the Government have taken to prevent specialised teaching or training of Iranian nationals in disciplines which would contribute to Iran's sensitive nuclear activities and development of nuclear weapon delivery systems in accordance with Article 6 of the EU Council Common Position 2007/140/CFSP.

Margaret Beckett: A voluntary vetting scheme is currently in place which encourages universities to refer post-graduate students planning to study subjects of concern, including disciplines which could contribute to Iran's proliferation sensitive nuclear activities and development of nuclear weapon delivery systems, to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for counter-proliferation advice. In line with Article 6 of Common Position 2007/140 Common Foreign and Security Policy, we will take the necessary measures to prevent such teaching or training by introducing a mandatory vetting scheme in advance of the visa application stage. Technical work is continuing with a view to introducing this mandatory scheme at the earliest opportunity.

Iran: Sanctions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken by the European Union to implement the call by the UN Security Council in its Resolution 1747 on 24 March for all states and international financial institutions not to enter into new commitments for grants, financial assistance and concessional loans to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran except for humanitarian and developmental purposes; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The EU introduced a prohibition on member states entering into new commitments for grants, financial assistance and concessional loans to the Government of Iran, including through their participation in international financial institutions, except for humanitarian and developmental purposes, in Common Position 2007/246/ Common Foreign and Security Policy adopted on 23 April.

Iran: Territorial Waters

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions officials from her Department have made representations to the government of Iran calling for the return of the Royal Navy boats and equipment seized by Iran; and what reasons have been given by the government of Iran for not doing so.

Margaret Beckett: Officials have raised the matter of Royal Navy boats and equipment illegally seized and retained by Iran with the Government of Iran on a number of occasions, most recently in May with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Iran has not provided a reasonable explanation of why they have not returned the boats and equipment taken in 2004 and 2007.

Iran: Travel Restrictions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the European Union is implementing a full travel ban on  (a) the persons designated under UN Security Council Resolutions 1737 and 1747 and  (b) the individuals designated under Council Decision 2007/242/EC of 23 April; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The EU is implementing a full travel ban on the individuals designated in UN Security Council Resolutions 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007) and the additional persons who meet the UN criteria listed in Council Decision 2007/242/EC. A series of limited exemptions to the travel ban are listed in Article IV of Common Position 2007/140/Common Foreign and Security Policy. These include permission to permit travel in cases of urgent humanitarian need or where there is a necessity to meet the objectives of UN Security Council Resolution 1737 (2006), including where Article XV of the International Atomic Energy Agency Statute is engaged.

Iraq: Asylum

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the proposed tripartite talks on Iraq refugees between the EU, Syria and Iraq are to take place; and what the UK involvement will be.

Margaret Beckett: We welcome Commissioner Michel's proposal to hold technical level tripartite talks on Iraqi refugees. We understand the proposed talks will be between the Commission and the Governments of Iraq and Syria, but the UK stands ready to assist if required. The date of the talks is still to be confirmed.

Israel: Political Prisoners

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Government of Israel on the seizure of the Palestinian Education Minister and elected parliamentarians.

Kim Howells: We are concerned by the arrest of the Hamas members on 23 May. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni on 28 May. We have called for all those detained to be either released or subject to the due legal process.

Israel: Political Prisoners

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely impact of the seizure by Israel of the Palestinian Education Minister and elected parliamentarians on the prospects for peace in the Middle East.

Kim Howells: We are concerned by the arrest of the Hamas members on 23 May. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni on 28 May. We have called for all those detained to be either released or subject to the due legal process.
	We are very concerned by the on-going violence that is hindering current progress on the peace process. We are concerned by the situation inside Gaza for Palestinian civilians and the situation in Sderot. We welcome Palestinian President Abbas' efforts to restore calm and hope that both sides can exercise restraint. Continuing violence in Gaza and the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories underlines the need for the current on-going political processes. We welcome the fortnightly discussions between Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas as well as US Secretary of State Rice's recent efforts and those of the Arab League.

Israel: Political Prisoners

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the arrest by Israel and subsequent release of Nasser al Shaer in 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Nasser al Shaer was first arrested in June 2006 while serving as deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister in the Hamas Government. He was released later in September 2006. On 23 May, he was arrested with two Hamas Palestinian Legislative Council members. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni on 28 May. We have called for all those detained to be either released or subject to the due legal process.

Italy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings she has had with the Italian foreign minister in the last 12 months; and what the agenda was of each such meeting.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I meet Italian counterparts on a regular basis, including at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels, and at other international meetings. Discussions cover a wide range of international issues.

Japan: Nuclear Power

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether she discussed civil nuclear power during her recent visit to Japan; and what meetings she had during the visit.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Japan on 22 May. She did not discuss civil nuclear power during her visit.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary had bilaterals with Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki, Foreign Minister Aso, and Prime Minister Abe's climate change advisor Koike. She also had lunch with leading Japanese opinion formers, including politicians and representatives from the private sector, and gave a key-note speech at a climate change conference organised with Japanese business.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she expects to answer the letter of 19 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Ms R. O'Brien.

Margaret Beckett: A reply was sent on 2 May. I apologise for the delay in replying to my right hon. Friend.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she will answer the letter to her dated 5 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr L. W. Gordon.

Margaret Beckett: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 16 May 2007.

Mercenaries

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the regulation of private military security companies.

Kim Howells: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 12 March 2007,  Official Report, column 93W.

Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken in their role as an observer to the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force; and what assessment she has made of progress by the body in combating the financing of terrorism.

Margaret Beckett: The UK supports the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force's (MENAFATF) objective of raising standards in combating the financing of terrorism in the middle east/north Africa region. Government representatives have attended all five plenary meetings to date in an observer capacity. We are discussing with the MENAFATF Secretariat the possibility of UK technical assistance to the organisation and its member states in areas of common interest.
	We assess that MENAFATF has made an encouraging start. It is continuing to develop. It has produced guidance papers for its members on the regulation of cash couriers and of charities. It is co-operating with other regional bodies such as the Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering on the delivery of technical assistance to raise standards in countering the financing of terrorism. The UK welcomes this proactive approach and hopes that MENAFATF will continue to play a positive role in the international effort to tackle terrorist financing.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her assessment is of the recent US proposals for the middle east peace process which have been presented to the government of Israel and the Palestinian leadership; and what the role of the Government is in the next stage of the process.

Margaret Beckett: The US presented Israel and the Palestinians with a set of proposals according to which Israel would improve freedom of movement for Palestinians within and between the west bank and Gaza and the Palestinians would act to prevent attacks by militants against Israel. The proposal has so far been welcomed by Palestinian President Abbas and Palestine Liberation Organisation Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat, but dismissed by the National Unity government. The Israeli government is considering the proposal.
	It is essential that progress is made on movement and access in, and between, the west bank and Gaza and security sector transformation to ensure a viable future Palestinian state. This requires the active engagement of both parties. In the meantime, we will continue to call upon both parties to implement their commitments under the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access and support US Security Coordinator General Dayton's plans on security sector transformation.

National League for Democracy

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visits  (a) the British ambassador and  (b) other representatives of the British Government made to the head office of the National League for Democracy in the last 12 months.

Ian McCartney: Our ambassador in Rangoon and his staff have regular contact with the National League for Democracy (NLD), both at the NLD's headquarters and elsewhere.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to develop the UK's role within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Ian McCartney: The UK is a leading member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and strongly supports its globally recognised programme of economic and structural work. This work is of major benefit to the OECD's 30 members, but also to a growing number of developing and emerging economies with which the organisation has outreach programmes. The OECD has a central role in promoting the benefits of globalisationand sharing best practice in mitigating the downside risksdrawing on its policy analysis, statistics, peer review and international codes of conduct. This is consistent with UK efforts to engage with major emerging economies on global issues such as climate and energy security.
	At the 15-16 May OECD Annual Ministerial Meeting in Paris, member states agreed to open accession talks with Chile, Estonia, Israel, Slovenia and Russia. The UK also welcomed a programme of enhanced engagement and possible future membership with emerging economies, particularly Brazil, India, Indonesia, China and South Africa. The UK has stressed that countries acceding to the OECD must meet strict criteria in order to safeguard the organisation's core values including market-based democracy, rule of law and good governance.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Government of Pakistan on the proposed Apostasy Bill in that country.

Kim Howells: We regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Government of Pakistan, including those pertaining to legislation affecting religious minorities in Pakistan. Officials from our high commission in Islamabad will continue to monitor the progress of the draft Apostasy Bill. Together with our EU partners, we will continue to encourage Pakistan to treat all citizens fairly in the interests of equality.

Palestine National Authority

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to resume full recognition of the Palestine National Authority; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We will judge the Palestinian Government by their platform and actions and respond accordingly. We have always been willing to work with anyone who endorses the Quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia) principles: renunciation of violence; recognition of Israel; and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations. The US and EU also support this position. No Hamas members of the current Government have yet made clear that they have accepted these principles. We are working with those members of the Government who do.

Press: Finance

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding her Department provided to the Foreign Press Corps in the latest period for which figures are available; what conditions were attached to such funding; and what the purpose was of such funding.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 21 May 2007
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) funding for the Foreign Press Corps is channelled through the Foreign Press Association (FPA). The FPA is an independent professional body representing foreign journalists working in the UK. FCO funding is in support of the 2005 recommendation by Lord Carter of Cole that foreign correspondents require a better service from across Whitehall departments.
	FCO funding is, therefore, aimed at assisting the FPA: to act as a central point through which the Government can efficiently disseminate news and information about Britain to a global audience; and to achieve financial self-sustainability. Funding is now solely project-based and in the last financial year (2006-07) the FCO contributed 124,875. In addition, in January 2006, the FCO and the FPA signed a memorandum of understanding in which the FPA agreed to implement a reform programme designed to make it financially independent, more responsive and focused on the working needs of its membership.

Sanctions: EC Action

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the membership and remit is of the sanctions formation of the Foreign Relations Counsellors Working Party; who represents the UK on this body; how often it meets to review EU restrictive measures; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: All EU member states are represented on the sanctions formation of the Foreign Relations Counsellors Working Party which usually meets every six weeks to discuss best practice in the implementation and application of EU restrictive measures. The UK is represented by officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, reinforced by experts from other Whitehall Departments as required. I have placed a copy of the Working Party's mandate in the Library of the House. Individual sanctions regimes are reviewed and evaluated by relevant geographical working groups.

Sanctions: EC Action

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what form the EU Foreign Relations Counsellors Working Party has reported on its work on the monitoring, implementation and evaluation of EU restrictive measures; and if she will place in the Library copies of its reports from the last two years.

Margaret Beckett: The EU Foreign Relations Counsellors Working Party makes an annual report on developments in Common Foreign and Security Policy to the European Council. The reports are classified and not intended for release into the public domain. The Foreign Relations Counsellors Working Party has published a number of reports on the effective use and implementation of EU restrictive measures. We will place copies in the Library of the House and I will also arrange for copies of the reports to be sent to the right hon. Member.

Saudi Arabia

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2007,  Official Report, column 781W, on Saudi Arabia, whether any other Ministers in her Department have met Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Azziz al-Saud or his chief of staff since 1 January 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: There have been no meetings between Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and either Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud or Rehab Massoud, his Chief of Staff, since 1 January 2006.

Schools: Corporal Punishment

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether legislation has been introduced since 1 February 2005 to prohibit corporal punishment in  (a) state and private schools in (i) Anguilla, (ii) Bermuda, (iii) British Virgin Islands, (iv) Cayman Islands, (v) Gibraltar, (vi) Montserrat and (vii) Turks and Caicos Islands,  (b) penal institutions for young offenders under 18 years in (A) Gibraltar and (B) Montserrat,  (c) alternative care settings in (1) Anguilla, (2) Bermuda, (3) British Virgin Islands, (4) Cayman Islands, (5) Falkland Islands, (6) Gibraltar, (7) Montserrat, (8) St. Helena and (9) Turks and Caicos Islands.

Geoff Hoon: There has been no legislation introduced since 1 February 2005 to prohibit corporal punishment in state schools and private schools, penal institutions for young offenders under 18 years and alternative care settings in the overseas territories listed in the hon. Member's question. The position on corporal punishment is as follows:
	 Anguilla:
	Under the Education Act corporal punishment is only allowed in schools under controlled conditions.
	 Bermuda:
	Under the Education Rules corporal punishment in schools is allowed under defined conditions. However, in practice, schools are moving towards using positive reinforcement for good behaviour. Corporal punishment may not be carried out on any child in care, whether in a children's home or foster care.
	 British Virgin Islands:
	Corporal punishment can be carried out in schools, by the principal, deputy principal or by one senior teacher appointed in writing. Corporal punishment of children is not allowed in other institutions or forms of care. On 16 April 2005, the British Virgin Islands enacted the Children and Young Persons Act which, among other things, made it unlawful to abuse or ill treat a child.
	 Cayman Islands:
	Corporal punishment is allowed by law in all public and private schools only where no other punishment is considered suitable or effective by the principal, and may be administered by the principal or any teacher appointed in writing by the principal for that purpose.
	 Falkland Islands:
	Corporal punishment is prohibited by law in public sector schools. There is no prohibition on corporal punishment in other forms of care, or by carers. However, administratively, the Falkland Islands Government forbids corporal punishment of children in the forms of care it operates.
	 Gibraltar:
	In both public and private educational establishments, and other institutions which care for children and young people, corporal punishment is not permitted. Corporal punishment is not administered in prison.
	 Montserrat:
	Under the Education Act, corporal punishment can be administered in schools but subject to strict guidelines and it should only be administered by the principal or a teacher designated by the principal for that purpose. Corporal punishment is not permitted for young offenders and is not administered in prison.
	 St. Helena:
	While no new law has been introduced, it is not practice to allow corporal punishment of children in alternate settings or forms of care.
	 Turks and Caicos Islands:
	While existing law allows for corporal punishment in schools, in practice it is prohibited in both private and public schools and in all institutions dealing with children and adolescents.

Serbia: Human Rights

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration was made of Serbia's  (a) human rights record and  (b) record of co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia prior to its assumption of the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Margaret Beckett: The Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers is not an elected position, but organised on an alphabetical rotational basis every six months in May and November. On this basis Serbia became chair at the 117(th) Council of Europe Ministerial on 11 May.
	The Parliamentary Assembly and Committee of Ministers have been monitoring Serbia's commitment to the Council of Europe core objectives of promoting and protecting human rights, democracy and rule of law, as well as compliance with treaty obligations since Serbia's accession in 2003. Monitoring will continue throughout Serbia's chairmanship and will cover co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
	Serbia's chairmanship will be scrutinised by both a domestic and international audience. It is in Serbia's interests to fulfil its obligations as chair to the highest standards. We hope that its chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers will provide impetus for Serbia to demonstrate its commitment to the Council of Europe core objectives as well as other international obligations, in particular full co-operation with the ICTY.
	The United Kingdom is a strong supporter of the ICTY and regularly makes clear to countries of the region their obligation to co-operate fully with the tribunal as set out in UN Security Council Resolution 1534. In February, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe delivered this message in Belgrade to the President and Prime Minister of Serbia.

Somalia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the situation in Somalia.

Ian McCartney: The UK strongly condemns the violence from all sides in Somalia. We welcome the recent pause in the fighting and hope it can result in a permanent cease-fire and a lasting stability, which is what the overwhelming majority of Somalis want more than anything else. For this to happen, the Transitional Federal Government needs to ensure that the National Reconciliation Congress planned for mid June reaches out effectively to include all Somalis, regardless of clan, who credibly renounce violence and who are willing to work for a peaceful and democratic Somalia in which all clans are fairly represented.
	We are very concerned at the humanitarian situation in and around Mogadishu. We believe that more than 1,500 people have been killed and perhaps another 400,000 displaced since early January. Cholera is widespread and the plight of children is particularly grave due to increasing rates of malnutrition and disease. The Government have committed 3.54 million in emergency humanitarian relief since late February.

Somalia: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the humanitarian situation in Somalia following the Transitional Federal Government's arrival in Mogadishu; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The fighting in April in Mogadishu has hampered relief efforts. We are extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation in Somalia and we are monitoring the situation closely.
	The UN has reported that over 300,000 persons, mostly women and children, were displaced by the violence since the beginning of February. The UN further reported that these displaced persons had little in the way of proper shelter, food, clean water, sanitation, health facilities and protection, and that the presence of a cholera outbreak added to their vulnerability. We welcome the cessation in hostilities over the last two weeks and urge all parties in Somalia to maintain this truce in order to allow humanitarian relief work to resume. We are encouraged by the reports that some of those displaced are now returning to their homes and by the resumption of food distribution by the World Food Programme in Mogadishu.
	Since February, the UK has provided emergency humanitarian assistance of around 3.5 million. This is in addition to the UK's annual development and humanitarian programme for Somalia, currently 21 million. The UK was the second largest bilateral humanitarian donor to Somalia in 2006.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK is advocating to improve the implementation of the UN arms embargo on Darfur; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: We are committed to the effective implementation of the UN arms embargo and take allegations of non-implementation seriously. Our ambassador to the UN in New York, Sir Emyr Jones Parry, supported recommendations, made by the Panel of Experts to the UN Security Council's Sanctions Committee on the Sudan, to improve implementation of the UN arms embargo, when it was discussed at the Sanctions Committee meetings of 10 and 20 April and 9 May. The report has not yet been transmitted to the UN Security Council, nor been made public.
	We review our sanctions policy on Sudan on a regular basis and are presently pressing the case for further sanctions in the Security Council if the Government of Sudan and rebel movements fail to co-operate fully. These would include expanding the existing arms embargo to cover the whole of Sudan, in line with the current EU arms embargo, which should improve its implementation and enforcement.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure the safety and protection of British humanitarian workers working in the Darfur region; and what recent meetings she has had with non-governmental organisations to discuss the humanitarian situation in Sudan.

Margaret Beckett: We take seriously the security of British humanitarian workers. Our representatives in Sudan keep in close contact with UK humanitarian workers to share information about the level of security. The UK is funding training programmes to enhance non-governmental organisation's (NGOs) security management and we are currently reviewing what additional support they require.
	We are pushing both parties of the Darfur peace agreement to abide by their ceasefire commitments. We continue to support the African Union's (AU) peace-keeping mission, while pressing for a more effective peacekeeping operation in Darfur through the proposed hybrid AU-UN force. This will be critical to improving the security situation for ordinary Darfuris and the humanitarian agencies helping to meet their basic needs. The UK played a prominent role with the UN and other partners in securing a joint communiqu on 28 March between the UN and the Government of Sudan to address the bureaucratic impediments facing humanitarian agencies in Darfur. We are pressing for and closely monitoring its implementation.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development met NGO representatives on 28 March. UK officials regularly meet NGOs both in London and Sudan to discuss the humanitarian situation in Darfur.

Sudan: International Assistance

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what gaps in  (a) EU and  (b) international funding for the African Union Mission in Sudan have been identified; and which countries have yet to fulfil their commitments in this area.

Margaret Beckett: The EU has committed 242 million for the African Union (AU) Mission in Sudan (AMIS) from the Africa Peace Facility (APF) for AMIS personnel costs. Part of this sum has not been disbursed because the AU has not met EU financial reporting requirements and EU financial experts are now assisting the AU to improve financial reporting. The EU is about to commit 40 million more from the APF, with a further amount to follow the end of term review of the European Development Fund. Other member states are giving voluntary bilateral contributions: for example, Germany committed 20 million in March and the Netherlands announced on 14 May it would give an extra 10 million.
	The UK and a small group of core donors, including US, Canada and Netherlands, provide the majority of international funding for AMIS on a voluntary basis. The UK has committed 67 million. UK funds are currently being used to pay for AMIS personnel allowances and catering and the mission's ground fuel costs. The Arab League has disbursed less than US$20m of its original US$150m pledge for AMIS. We are urging them, and other international partners, to honour their commitments and provide funds for AMIS.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 48W, on Sudan: peace negotiations, what steps the Government are taking to seek faster progress on the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement.

Margaret Beckett: The UK is pressing the government of Sudan and rebel groups to cease the violence immediately and commit to a renewed political process. We are pressing the African Union (AU) and UN to make rapid progress in this area, most recently when the UK's Special Representative for Sudan attended a meeting in Tripoli on 28 April.
	We stand ready to support: a secretariat for the AU and UN mediators; the AU in taking forward the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation; and the Transitional Darfuri Regional Authority and other bodies under the Darfur Peace Agreement. Progress in these initiatives has been slow due to the continued violence in Darfur.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 48W, on Sudan: peace negotiations, what progress has been made by the  (a) African Union and  (b) UN to meet commitments made at the UN high level meeting in November 2006 to convene a meeting between the non-signatories and signatories of the Darfur peace agreement.

Margaret Beckett: The African Union (AU) and UN Special Representatives for the political process in Darfur; and representatives from Sudan, Chad, African regional powers, the UN Security Council, the EU and the Arab League met on 28 and 29 April in Tripoli to discuss the Darfur peace process. They reconfirmed support for the conclusions of the UN high level meeting in November 2006 in Addis Ababa.
	They agreed the Tripoli Consensus which calls for an immediate ceasefire; the facilitation of humanitarian access and delivery; and sustained funding for the AU force in Darfur until the AU/UN hybrid force can deploy. They urged all parties to commit to a renewed, inclusive and accelerated political process. The Tripoli Consensus warned all parties that those who obstruct the peace process in Darfur would bear the consequences.
	We are pressing the AU and UN special representatives urgently to present a roadmap for negotiations to the UN Secretary-General.

Sudan: War Crimes

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the government of Sudan complies with the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court in connection with alleged atrocities in Darfur; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Government firmly believe that there can be no impunity for crimes against humanity and war crimes. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has our full support for its activities. It must also have the full and unconditional co-operation of the government of Sudan. We have made this clear to the authorities in Khartoum.
	My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, made a statement on 2 May calling upon the government of Sudan to co-operate with the court's request for the arrest and surrender of the two individuals which we brought to the attention of the Sudanese embassy in London. It is vital that the government of Sudan fulfils its obligations in relation to the ICC.

Tibet: Human Rights

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Government of the People's Republic of China on the human rights situation in Tibet; and what recent progress has been made on improving human rights for the indigenous people of Tibet.

Ian McCartney: We raised our concerns on the human rights situation in Tibet with the Chinese Government at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 5 February. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister also raised Tibet with Chinese Premier Wen when he visited London in September 2006. We welcome the economic development in Tibet, but remain concerned that this does not sufficiently benefit or take into account the wishes of the local Tibetan population. The British Government continue to fund project work to improve health, sanitation and education facilities for Tibetan populations in China.

Uganda: Elections

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Commonwealth Secretariat on its report on the 2006 Ugandan elections.

Ian McCartney: Our high commission in Kampala, along with other diplomatic missions, had regular contact with the Commonwealth Observer Group in the run up to and during the 2006 elections. We continue to have high level contacts with the Commonwealth Secretariat on a range of issues in Uganda, including political governance.
	The UK, along with our EU partners, has a regular dialogue with the Government of Uganda on all aspects of developing multi-party democracy and engaging with the opposition as a means of building towards the next elections in 2011. Our high commissioner in Kampala discussed these issues most recently with President Museveni on 10 May.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to strengthen and increase resources for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Ian McCartney: The UK fully supported the decision at the UN World summit, 14-16 September 2005, to double resources from the UN regular budget to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) over the next five years. As well as supporting the OHCHR through the UK's contribution to the UN regular budget, the Government continue to be one of the major donors to the OHCHR through voluntary contributions. They are contributing over 2.5 million annually in the period 2005-08.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development remain in close contact with the OHCHR on progress on the OHCHR's strategic management programme, which sets goals for OHCHR's expansion in 2006-08 and will, 'inter alia', enhance OHCHR's capacity to mainstream human rights more effectively across the UN system. We fully support this programme, including through resisting efforts by some at the UN Human Rights Council to limit the OHCHR's independence in pursuing its goals.

UN Human Rights Council

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the performance of the UN Human Rights Council.

Ian McCartney: We continue to have ambitious goals for the new UN Human Rights Council (HRC). It has taken some encouraging steps. For example, it has begun to address the situation in Darfur, most recently through a consensus resolution adopted on 30 March to follow up on recommendations made by the council's high-level assessment mission for Darfur. We were, however, disappointed by a disproportionate and unbalanced focus in the council's early months on the situation in the Middle East, while other situations were comparatively neglected. Negotiations on the council's future tools and mechanisms are due to be completed in June. Their results will be key to the council's long-term potential. We continue to work hard to make these tools as effective as possible.
	Much of the responsibility for the council's success rests with its members. We were disappointed that, at the most recent HRC elections on 17 May, three of the five UN regional groups did not put forward more candidates than there were seats available. However, we were pleased that Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were elected from the Eastern European Group, in preference to a country where the human rights situation continues to be of deep concern. We look forward to continuing to work with all council members to try to increase the HRC's strength and effectiveness.

UN Human Rights Council

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment she has made of the likelihood of the renewal of the  (a) special procedures,  (b) country-specific and  (c) thematic special rapporteurs in the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Ian McCartney: The UN General Assembly (GA) resolution of 16 March 2006 establishing the UN Human Rights Council specifically provided for the Council to assume, review and where necessary improve and rationalise all mandates and mechanisms of its predecessor body, the Commission on Human Rights. This included the special procedures of the Commission, including the country-specific and thematic special rapporteurs. The review of the rapporteurs and other special procedures, provided for by the GA resolution, is ongoing.
	The UK attaches enormous importance to the continued independence, strength and autonomy of the system of rapporteurs. We are resisting attempts by some to use the review to limit the rapporteurs' effectiveness. We strongly support the continuation of all thematic and country-specific rapporteurs' mandates after the Council session this June. However, other UN member states firmly oppose our aims in this area, particularly the continuation of some country-specific rapporteurs' mandates. Ongoing discussion of these issues in Geneva is difficult. We will continue to do our utmost to ensure the review process does not weaken the system of rapporteurs.

UN Human Rights Council

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will take steps to ensure that the special procedures in the United Nations Human Rights Council, and in particular the country-specific and thematic special rapporteurs, are renewed next month.

Ian McCartney: The UN Human Rights Council's (HRC's) review of the special procedures (including thematic and country-specific special rapporteurs) has been ongoing in Geneva through formal and informal Council working groups, in the plenary of regular Council sessions, and in informal bilateral and small group consultations. It is due to be finished in June. The UK has consistently taken a strong position, nationally and with the rest of the EU, in favour of maintaining the most effective possible system of special procedures. While suggesting areas where the system could be further strengthened, we have argued strongly for the renewal of the mandates of the country-specific and thematic special rapporteurs. We have engaged bilaterally with other UN partners to build support for our position. In my speech to
	the HRC on 13 March, I said:
	The Council's discussions have benefited from the valuable input of the Special Procedures. We must continue to draw on them to the fullest extent.
	However, others in the Council do not share our aims, particularly with regard to the country-specific special rapporteurs and the independence of the system as a whole. We will continue to push hard, against opposition, for the renewal of mandates and for the rapporteurs' continued independence and autonomy.

United Nations

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the way in which the principle of responsibility to protect has been implemented by the United Nations in the last 12 months.

Ian McCartney: The UK continues to lead efforts in the UN to maintain and build international consensus on how to implement the commitments made at the World summit in 2005 in relation to the Responsibility to Protect principle. UN Security Council resolution 1674 (2006), concerned with the protection of civilians in armed conflict, explicitly affirmed the World summit outcome on Responsibility to Protect. The UK has worked to embed this commitment in relevant country specific resolutions. One example is Sudan, where the UK was the main sponsor of resolutions 1706 (2006) and 1755 (2007) which make direct reference to the Responsibility to Protect provisions of the World Summit Outcome Document.
	Responsibility to Protect remains a political commitment rather than a legal obligation, but it is in the UK's interests to make sure this commitment holds.
	We will continue work to apply the Responsibility to Protect principle to achieve appropriate and speedy responses to protect vulnerable populations against genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

United Nations Security Council

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1177W, on the United Nations Security Council, what proposals were put forward by the United Kingdom at  (a) the informal Security Council discussion on Sudan on 16 April and  (b) any subsequent discussions for action to be taken by the Security Council on Darfur.

Margaret Beckett: At the informal meeting of the Security Council that I chaired on 16 April, I welcomed the Sudanese Government's announcement that they would accept the UN's Heavy Support Package for the African Union (AU) Mission in Sudan. I stressed that it represented only limited progress; five months after the Addis Ababa agreement, Darfur still had no viable cease-fire, political process or agreement to the hybrid AU-UN force. Since then, we have been pressing the case for further sanctions in the Security Council, if the Government of Sudan and rebel movements do not co-operate fully. These would include further targeted sanctions against individuals engaged in violence or responsible for authorising it; expanding the arms embargo to cover the whole of Sudan; and measures to allow better monitoring of the illegal use of aircraft in Darfur.

United Nations: Human Rights

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals she has for reform and strengthening of UN human rights mechanisms.

Ian McCartney: The UK continues to support reform of the UN's human rights mechanisms, begun at the UN World summit in 2005. We worked actively for the establishment of the new UN Human Rights Council (HRC). We stood for election to the HRC last year to enable us to contribute to the Council's early development to the fullest possible extent. That development is ongoing, with key decisions on the Council's future shape and tools due in June this year. Throughout negotiations on these, we have consistently pushed for the strongest and most effective mechanisms possible. We believe that a balanced and fair system of universal periodic review, and the continued independence and autonomy of the Council's special procedures, are particularly important. We have also encouraged innovative working methods at the Council, such as focused panel discussions. We continue to support efforts, including those of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to mainstream human rights throughout the UN system in order to enhance the UN's human rights work overall. We also support efforts to improve the efficiency of the UN treaty monitoring bodies, and to increase ratifications and improve implementation of UN human rights treaties. The ultimate success of these reform efforts, however, inevitably lies with the UN membership as a whole.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the longest recorded journey time was for non-human primates imported into the United Kingdom for research purposes from  (a) China,  (b) Mauritius,  (c) Indonesia,  (d) the Philippines,  (e) Vietnam and  (f) Israel in each year since 1997.

Joan Ryan: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 requires that non-human primates are only used in scientific procedures if no other species is suitable. In deciding whether to grant a licence for any regulated procedure, the 1986 Act requires that the likely benefits of the programme are weighed against the likely adverse effects on the animals concerned and that there are no alternatives which, either, replace animal use entirely, reduce the number of animals needed or refine the procedures to minimise suffering. We must also be satisfied that the procedures are likely to achieve the stated objectives.
	According to our records, the longest actual or estimated journey times for non-human primates imported into the United Kingdom for research purposes in the period 1999 to 2006 were as set out in the following table. We hold no information for 1997 or 1998.
	In accordance with measures introduced in 1996, the Home Office only requires an estimated total journey time to be provided prior to each acquisition and that, after each acquisition, confirmation is provided that the importation was in accordance with what had been authorised. There is no obligation for licence holders to provide a detailed journey record or a precise total journey time.
	
		
			   China  Mauritius  Indonesia  Philippines  Vietnam  Israel 
			 1999 46.75 34.00 No Imports NTA(1) No Imports (1)NTA 
			 2000 75.00 51.00 No Imports No Imports No Imports 15.00 
			 2001 65.50 56.00 No Imports No Imports 63.00 14.50 
			 2002 59.00 54.50 No Imports No Imports 41.50 18.00 
			 2003 (2)60.00 55.00 No Imports No Imports 65.50 19.75 
			 2004 75.00 (2)40.00 No Imports No Imports 32.25 14.00 
			 2005 58.00 (2)40.00 No Imports No Imports 34.50 No Imports 
			 2006 54.80 (2)40.00 No Imports No Imports (2)33.50 No Imports 
			 (1 )No journey times available. (2) Estimated times, actual times are likely to have been shorter.  Note: Journey times in hours

Animal Experiments: Standards

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in the last three years on the adequacy of monitoring by Government inspectors of animals used in laboratory experiments.

Joan Ryan: There have been no formal representations to the Secretary of State about the adequacy of monitoring by Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectors of animals used in laboratory experiments within the last three years. Members of the Inspectorate are all medical or veterinary graduates, are highly professional and dedicated, and have the complete confidence of Government Ministers. Information about their activities and achievements are published in the Inspectorate's annual report.

Antisocial Behaviour: Fixed Penalties

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Penalty Notices for Disorder issued in 2006 were registered as fines; and how many Penalty Notices for Disorder issued in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005 were paid (i) within the 21 day suspended enforcement period and (ii) outside the 21 day suspended enforcement period.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	Provisional data for 2006 on the number of Penalty Notices for Disorder are currently available only for total numbers PNDs issued; detailed data for 2006 will be available when the data are published in the summer.
	Data from the Penalty Notices for Disorder Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform show that in 2004, of the 33,078 PNDs which were paid in full, 24,126 were paid within the initial 21-day suspended enforcement period with the remaining 8,952 paid outside the suspended enforcement period. In 2005 there were 77,247 paid in full, with 56,823 paid within the initial 21-day suspended enforcement period and the remaining 20,424 paid outside the suspended enforcement period.

Antisocial Behaviour: Motorcycles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of antisocial behaviour connected to the use of mini motors were recorded in  (a) each year since 1997 and  (b) January to April 2007.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office does not collect this information centrally.

British Crime Survey

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had on improving the  (a) quantity and  (b) quality of information (i) collected and (ii) published by the British Crime Survey.

Tony McNulty: Following recommendations from the Smith review of crime statistics, the Secretary of State for the Home Department has discussed proposals for extending the scope of the survey to under 16's and other groups and to set up a Survey and Statistics advisory group which can advise on the quality and coverage of the BCS. Work has commenced to take these proposals forward.

Crime: Detection Rates

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the trends in crime clear-up rates since 2000.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 22 May 2007
	The overall detection rate was 24 per cent. in 2000-01. The detection rate remained broadly stable between 2001-02 and 2003-04 but has since risen to 26 per cent. in 2004-05 and 27 per cent. in 2005-06.
	The last two years has seen an increased focus on sanctioned detections which can be largely attributed to the police performance assessment framework (PPAF). The sanctioned detection rate was 21 per cent. in 2004-05 and rose to 24 per cent. in 2005-06.

Crimes Against Property: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of criminal damage were recorded in each London borough in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of such incidents led to a conviction in each year.

Vernon Coaker: The statistics are not available in the form requested. Recorded criminal damage statistics relate to offences and convictions data relate to offenders. In addition, recorded crime data are published on a financial year basis and conviction data are published on a calendar year basis. For these reasons, the two data sources are therefore not directly comparable.
	Figures for the number of offences recorded and the number of convictions are provided in the tables. Recorded crime data at borough level are only available from 2000-01.
	
		
			  Table 1: Recorded offences of criminal damage by London borough, 2000-01 and 2001-02 
			  Borough  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,909 3,607 
			 Barnet 5,064 5,092 
			 Bexley 4,938 5,726 
			 Brent 4,349 4,520 
			 Bromley 5,791 5,994 
			 Camden 4,633 5,073 
			 City of Westminster 5,104 4,829 
			 Croydon 6,487 6,386 
			 Ealing 6,217 5,818 
			 Enfield 3,826 4,207 
			 Greenwich 5,057 5,046 
			 Hackney 4,828 4,898 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,718 3,719 
			 Haringey 4,699 5,043 
			 Harrow 2,732 2,819 
			 Havering 3,855 4,317 
			 Hillingdon 5,083 5,790 
			 Hounslow 4,871 4,883 
			 Islington 4,658 4,632 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2,529 2,431 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2,649 2,602 
			 Lambeth 6,384 6,509 
			 Lewisham 4,549 4,669 
			 Merton 3,508 3,420 
			 Newham 6,282 5,681 
			 Redbridge 3,750 4,135 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2,841 3,171 
			 Southwark 5,279 5,517 
			 Sutton 3,428 3,496 
			 Tower Hamlets 4,608 4,710 
			 Waltham Forest 3,623 4,038 
			 Wandsworth 4,795 4,874 
			 Total 144,042 147,652 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Recorded offences of criminal damage by London borough, 2002-05 to 2O05-06 
			  Borough  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,495 4,066 3,874 3,953 
			 Barnet 5,066 5,273 4,690 4,410 
			 Bexley 4,563 4,843 4,720 4,682 
			 Brent 4,252 4,473 3,921 3,610 
			 Bromley 5,973 6,510 6,627 6,241 
			 Camden 5,280 4,899 4,053 3,723 
			 City of Westminster 4,725 4,464 3,925 3,247 
			 Croydon 5,657 5,737 5,474 5,079 
			 Ealing 5,258 5,661 4,679 4,816 
			 Enfield 4,414 4,675 4,278 3,946 
			 Greenwich 5,337 5,759 5,550 5,395 
			 Hackney 4,717 4,241 4,086 3,299 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,450 3,168 2,950 2,492 
			 Haringey 4,885 4,731 4,393 3,861 
			 Harrow 2,694 2,660 2,644 2,222 
			 Havering 4,091 4,577 4,262 3,538 
			 Hillingdon 5,695 6,451 5,498 5,303 
			 Hounslow 5,248 4,642 4,414 3,904 
			 Islington 4,662 4,891 4,302 3,917 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2,624 2,293 2,099 1,789 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2,738 3,093 2,835 2,785 
			 Lambeth 6,333 5,928 5,479 4,769 
			 Lewisham 4,152 4,446 4,643 4,562 
			 Merton 3,156 3,357 2,896 2,667 
			 Newham 5,701 5,721 4,450 4,286 
			 Redbridge 4,071 4,234 3,596 2,792 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3,278 2,834 3,234 3,020 
			 Southwark 5,777 6,030 5,414 3,892 
			 Sutton 3,174 3,524 3,904 3,170 
			 Tower Hamlets 5,278 5,036 4,427 3,720 
			 Waltham Forest 3,986 4,497 4,045 3,671 
			 Wandsworth 4,525 4,631 4,220 3,509 
			 Total 144,255 147,345 135,582 122,270 
			  Note:  1. The National Crime Recording standard was introduced in April 2002. Figures for earlier years are therefore not directly comparable. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of defendants found guilty at all courts of criminal damage, broken down by London court area, 1996 to 2005( 1,2) 
			  London Court Area  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  City of London   
			
			 Guildhall Justice rooms 2 9 7 4 6 22 12 20 14 2 
			
			  Inner London Courts   
			 Bow Street 61 45 27 54 38 40 30 34 35 22 
			 Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge 90 137 171 201 129 127 133 151 143 121 
			 Greenwich and Woolwich 87 113 84 108 120 114 115 84 63 70 
			 Highbury Corner 157 153 152 122 98 72 76 125 106 70 
			 Horseferry Road 62 84 69 74 81 74 74 96 78 59 
			 Marylebone 38 49 48 61 15 5 4 4 3 5 
			 South Western 61 63 61 67 61 60 71 86 67 30 
			 Thames 34 42 9 119 91 91 78 70 70 69 
			 West London 32 74 81 63 86 77 95 93 87 55 
			 Inner London Juvenile Courts 110 14 1
			 Total: Inner London 732 774 703 869 719 660 676 743 652 501 
			
			  Outer London Courts   
			 Barking and Dagenham 22 30 38 53 35 40 33 26 34 32 
			 Barnet 35 42 47 46 31 22 33 40 58 72 
			 Bexley 26 23 33 46 28 28 41 28 63 67 
			 Brent 34 39 45 45 36 26 24 21 24 17 
			 Bromley 25 36 27 21 18 27 32 22 45 35 
			 Croydon 40 63 78 49 75 63 71 49 70 73 
			 Ealing 34 58 66 40 25 31 33 33 33 19 
			 Enfield 26 42 44 29 30 22 29 17 23 30 
			 Haringey 42 50 42 58 41 32 39 35 24 23 
			 Harrow 24 21 31 28 11 25 26 13 17 27 
			 Havering 29 38 39 55 36 27 33 37 22 29 
			 Hillingdon 31 29 47 72 49 60 56 60 71 88 
			 Hounslow 44 56 72 61 52 42 43 22 26 16 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 23 28 28 41 32 16 14 10 15 19 
			 Merton 26 38 46 39 36 34 38 46 38 46 
			 Newham 34 43 45 56 56 55 52 58 49 57 
			 Redbridge 21 47 36 43 32 23 20 19 28 20 
			 Richmond upon Thames 20 32 32 32 35 39 35 31 35 33 
			 Sutton 17 18 25 30 30 20 26 15 12 11 
			 Waltham Forest 44 60 53 44 38 37 23 30 13 23 
			 Total - Outer London 597 793 874 888 726 669 701 612 700 737 
			 Total - Greater London 1,331 1,576 1,584 1,761 1,451 1,351 1,389 1,375 1,366 1,240 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for criminal Justice Reform - ref IDS 234-07

Departments: Sovereign Strategy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department held with Sovereign Strategy in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Tony McNulty: Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.

Domestic Violence: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of domestic violence were recorded in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: From the information collected centrally on recorded crime, it is not possible to identify recorded cases of domestic violence. Such offences are not specifically defined by law and details of the individual circumstances of offences are not collected.

Drug Interventions Programme

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice his Department has given to intensive service drug intervention programme (DIP) teams in London on changes in funding to DIPs.

Vernon Coaker: The detailed spending of funds allocated to partnerships as part of the drug interventions programme is a matter for the partnerships who receive that funding.
	There has been significant investment in the drug interventions programmeover 500 million since its commencement. In the context of the changes of the funding allocations for 2007-08, the Home Office, through its close work with the Government offices for the regions and colleagues from the National Treatment Agency, is encouraging partnerships to concentrate on protecting front line operational services which are the key to getting drug misusing offenders into treatment. This might be achieved, for example, by looking at administrative overheads, working patterns and other areas for efficiencies, including whether funding provided for start-up costs can now be deployed in support of operations.

Drug Interventions Programme: City of Westminster

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the likely impact on the rates of drug related acquisitive crime of changes in funding levels for Westminster city council's drug intervention programmes for 2007-08.

Vernon Coaker: There is a well established link between certain acquisitive crimes and drug misuse. Drug treatment has been shown to significantly reduce drug related offending which is why through the Drug Interventions Programme over 75,000 offenders have entered treatment since the beginning of the programme in 2003.
	The Home Office is working closely with the regional Government offices, including London and colleagues from the National Treatment Agency, to encourage partnerships to ensure that operational capacitywhich is the key to getting offenders into treatment and reducing crimecontinues to have top priority in the new budget allocations. The Drug Interventions Programme remains on course to meet its target of getting 1,000 offenders a week into treatment by April 2008.

Drug Interventions Programme: Greater London

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he consulted the Metropolitan police prior to announcing the funding reductions to intensive service drug intervention programmes within London.

Vernon Coaker: The Metropolitan police receives funding directly from the Home Office, as part of the Drug Interventions Programme, to support drug testing operations in some Metropolitan police custody suites. The Metropolitan police have been consulted about the funding of those services in 2007-08 for which the budget has not been reduced.
	Where funding streams to drug action team partnerships have been reduced, of which the Metropolitan police are part, representatives of regional Government office in London and the National Treatment Agency were consulted to ensure that local and regional perspectives were taken into account.

Emergency Calls

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) cost per operator and  (b) total cost was to each police force of training emergency telephone operators in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Emergency Calls

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by police forces on outside consultants to provide customer service training to emergency telephone operators in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Forensic Science

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crime scene investigators are in post in each police force in England and Wales; and what percentage of these are civilian.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 22 May 2007
	 The information requested is not collected centrally in the police personnel statistics. The available information is the number of police officers and police staff who are primarily involved in the function scenes of crime. These data are given in the following table.
	The scenes of crime function refers to those staff who are predominately employed in providing scientific support, or supporting those who provide scientific support, including scenes of crime officers, their supervisors and those engaged in administrative duties relating thereto.
	
		
			  Scenes of crime function( 1,2)  (FTE)( 3)  in England and Wales by police force as at 31 March 2006 
			   Total number of officers/staff  Percentage of civilian staff in total number 
			 Avon and Somerset 73 100 
			 Bedfordshire 42 100 
			 Cambridgeshire 0  
			 Cheshire 41 100 
			 Cleveland 36 75 
			 Cumbria 34 100 
			 Derbyshire 62 100 
			 Devon and Cornwall 75 89 
			 Dorset 33 94 
			 Durham 38 97 
			 Essex 72 34 
			 Gloucestershire(4) 8  
			 Greater Manchester 145 95 
			 Hampshire 103 66 
			 Hertfordshire 54 94 
			 Humberside 51 86 
			 Kent 95 100 
			 Lancashire 74 93 
			 Leicestershire 46 100 
			 Lincolnshire 0  
			 London, City of 13 54 
			 Merseyside 89 92 
			 Metropolitan Police 732 92 
			 Norfolk 40 100 
			 Northamptonshire 42 100 
			 Northumbria 70 62 
			 North Yorkshire 36 95 
			 Nottinghamshire 51 100 
			 South Yorkshire 78 74 
			 Staffordshire 50 100 
			 Suffolk 24 100 
			 Surrey 48 100 
			 Sussex 81 92 
			 Thames Valley 92 98 
			 Warwickshire 21 100 
			 West Mercia 56 100 
			 West Midlands(4) 2  
			 West Yorkshire 146 97 
			 Wiltshire 26 96 
			 Dyfed-Powys 13 52 
			 Gwent 39 62 
			 North Wales(4) 0  
			 South Wales 36 3 
			 (1) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables. (2) Overall force totals including those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. The data in the function breakdown are from unpublished sources and therefore totals may not match totals found in the published data. (3) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals in this table and totals in similar published tables. (4) Data are not available for police staff only.

Genetics: Databases

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what personal and biometric data is collected by police when an arrest is made; and how much of this data is retained when a suspect is released without being charged.

Tony McNulty: Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 the police may photograph any person detained at a police station. They may also take a photograph elsewhere than at a police station of a person who has been arrested for an offence. Photographs taken under these provisions may be retained, regardless of the outcome of the arrest, and shared for purposes relating to the prevention or detection of crime, the investigation of an offence, the conduct of a prosecution or the enforcement of a sentence.
	PACE also enables the police to take fingerprints, non-intimate samples, intimate samples and footwear impressions from individuals arrested for a recordable offence. Intimate samples may only be taken on the authority of an inspector (if he or she has reasonable grounds to believe that such an impression or sample will tend to confirm or disprove the suspect's involvement in a recordable offence) and with the person's consent.
	Photographs, fingerprints, non-intimate samples and footwear impressions taken under PACE may be retained, regardless of the outcome of the arrest, but cannot be used by any person except for purposes related to the prevention or detection of crime, the investigation of an offence, the conduct of a prosecution or the identification of a deceased person.
	Chief constables retain the operational discretion to decide whether or not fingerprints and samples will be retained in individual cases. To ensure national consistency regarding retention and deletion of fingerprints and samples, the Association of Chief Police Officers has devised guidelines for chief officers on the consideration of applications from individuals for the removal of their samples and the procedure that should apply.
	Under PACE code of practice C, when a person is arrested and taken into police custody the custody officer must carry out a risk assessment for the individual. This will include seeking information from the detainee around their history and any health issues that the police need to be aware of to enable the safe detention of the individual. This information will be recorded and retained on the Police National Computer.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 536-7W, on human trafficking, how many police operations were carried out prior to the 30 convictions referred to in the Answer.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 14 May 2007
	It is not possible to state how many police operations on human trafficking were carried out prior to the 30 convictions for trafficking for sexual exploitation referred to. Operations often have a number of different facets, for example, facilitation, use of false documents and trafficking. In some cases evidence of trafficking is found as a result of police activity on other forms of criminality.

Missing Persons

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Department for Education and Skills on the next scheduled date for a meeting of the Missing Persons Strategic Oversight Group; how his Department will be represented at that meeting; and what the report-back process will be for Ministers in his Department;
	(2)  if he will agree with the Department for Education and Skills suitable dates for a programme of meetings of the Missing Persons Strategic Oversight Group over the next 12 months.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 22 May 2007
	 The next meeting of the Strategic Oversight Group, which is chaired by the Association of Chief Police Officers and supported by the Home Office, is planned for the early part of July 2007. A future programme of meetings will be considered in consultation with members of the Strategic Oversight Group.

Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1877W, on the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, on what basis the decision was taken not to consult police staff associations in advance of the publication of the consultation paper.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 23 May 2007
	The public consultation paper on the review of PACE contains no specific proposals for change. Instead, the consultation exercise aims to encourage stakeholders, practitioners and the public to identify where potential revision of the 1984 Act may increase operational effectiveness. As we are asking police representative associations to initiate proposals for change, no prior formal consultation took place.

Police: Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1058W, on the police.uk website, when he expects the Association of Chief Police Officers and the National Policing Improvement Agency to report on an alternative solution that recognises the internal capability of police forces; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Provision of an alternative solution to the police.uk website is a matter for the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), working with the police service. I understand from the NPIA chief executive that a new system has been developed and is currently being tested. The results of that process are expected over the next month.

Police: Terrorism

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in each police authority area have been equipped with specialist training skills in order to deal with the terrorist attack under the Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear Resilience Programme.

Tony McNulty: In excess of 8,300 police officers have been trained in specialist CBRN skills; although not all of these will be available due to staff turnover and role changes. The most recent audit carried out by the Police National CBRN Centre (mid-April 2007) recorded 7,249 fully trained, equipped and deployable CBRN police officers in the UK. The number of trained officers in each police authority is not disclosed for security reasons.
	'

Police: Terrorism

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding was provided to the Police National Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear Centre in each of the last two years.

Tony McNulty: The running costs for the Police National CBRN Centre (covering accommodation, salary and overhead expenses) were approximately 2.9 million in financial year 2005-06 and 3.3 million in financial year 2006-07.

Public Order Offences

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many penalty notices for disorder issued in each of the last five years were paid in full within the 21 day limit established by the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001;
	(2)  how many penalty notices for disorder were issued in each of the last five years to individuals aged  (a) 10 to 15 years old,  (b) 15 to 16 years old and  (c) over 16 years old;
	(3)  how many and what percentage of penalty notices for disorder issued in each of the last five years were  (a) successfully and  (b) unsuccessfully contested in court.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) Scheme was rolled out to all police forces in England and Wales in 2004 under provisions in the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, allowing on-the-spot fines to be issued to offenders aged 16 and over for a range of minor disorder offences. Prior to this the police did not have the option of issuing on the spot fines for the offences covered by the scheme, having instead to issue a formal caution, reprimand or final warning or refer offenders to the court system to bring them to justice.
	Data from the PND database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of PNDs issued to offenders aged over 16 in 2004, 2005 as well as provisional data for 2006 are provided in the table, along with the number of PNDs paid in full and contested in court for 2004 and 2005. Information on whether the contested PNDs were successfully contested is not centrally collected.
	Data for 2006 on the number of PNDs paid in full within the 21-day period are currently unavailable as the data for this period have not been finalized.
	The evaluation of the pilots undertaken in six police areas for issuing penalty notices for disorder to 10 to 15-year-olds was completed in November 2006 and is currently going through the final quality assurance procedures prior to publication. Until that process is complete we are not able to provide any figures relating to 10 to 15-year-olds.
	
		
			  Number of PNDs issued to offenders aged 16 and over, the number who paid the fine within 21 days and the number contested in court England and Wales 2004, 2005 and 2006 provisional data( 1) 
			   PNDs issued to offenders aged 16 and over  Number paid in full within 21 days  Number contested in court 
			 2004 63,639 24,126 360 
			 2005 146,481 56,823 1,588 
			 2006 (provisional) 192,583   
			  =Data not available as described in draft.  (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the data presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that data are extracted from large scale data collection systems provided by the police. As a consequence, care should be taken to assure that these data collection processes, and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.

Respect Task Force: Advertising

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 25 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1145W, on the Respect Task Force, if he will provide a breakdown of how the advertising figure of 35,580.32 has been spent since 2005.

Vernon Coaker: Since its establishment in September 2005, the Respect Task Force has spent 35,580.32 on advertising.
	This breaks down into 13,850.32 for advertising on Respect academies and 21,730.00 for advertising on Respect Awards for Taking a Stand (RAFTAs).

Security Service Tribunal

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what methods are available to members of the public to access the findings of the Security Service Tribunal before its abolition in 2000.

Tony McNulty: The Security Service Tribunal was independent of Government. It is a matter of public record that the Security Service Tribunal did not make a determination in favour of any complainant. There is no public access to past complaints or findings.

Sexual Offences: Young People

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of training of front line police officers on evidence collection to support prosecution with particular reference to cases where teenagers have been sexually assaulted or raped in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 25 May 2007
	 There are a number of police training modules covering sexual offences for police officers of different ranks and roles. There is also a relevant module for police probationers as part of the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP).
	However, there are no courses specifically designed for cases involving teenagers.
	General probationer and specialist courses are developed centrally but delivered locally by all 43 forces. Information on the delivery cost is not collected centrally.

Special Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the notices of external employment have been given by special advisers in his Department in the last two years.

Liam Byrne: There are no records of any special advisers in the Home Office giving notice of external employment in the period from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2006.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the likely effect of the replacement of film cameras with digital speed cameras on the number of driving offences detected.

Vernon Coaker: It is a matter for individual chief officers of police to decide which type of approved speed camera to use. Our current estimate is that while a digital camera would generate increased efficiency in the processing of offences, it would not of itself detect more offences.

Terrorism: West Midlands

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what counter-terrorist exercises took place in the West Midlands region in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: In July 2004 there was a live play counter terrorism exercise (Exercise Horizon), which was led by the Government office for the West Midlands and West Midlands police in partnership with regional and national stake holders, including the Home Office.
	This was followed by Exercises Horizon two and three in January and March 2005 respectively, which were in tabletop format to consider further response issues with local authorities and senior executives.
	Tabletop exercises were also held with Staffordshire police in November 2004, the West Midlands police in February 2006 and with West Mercia constabulary in June 2006.

Young Offender Institutions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were committed to young offenders' institutions in  (a) the year preceding 1 May 1997 and  (b) each of the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Figures on the numbers of persons received into prison establishments in England and Wales in 1996-97 and 2003 to 2005 can be found in the following table, by age band. There were no children under 15 years received into prison establishments in either of the periods.
	The information is taken from Table 7.6 in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005, which gives figures by calendar year, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library.
	
		
			  Receptions into prison establishments( 1)  under an immediate custodial sentence: 1996-1997 and 2003-2005 
			  Males and females 15 to 17  Number of persons 
			 1996 5,285 
			 1997 5,617 
			 2003 4,918 
			 2004 5,172 
			 2005 5,175 
			 (1) Excludes police cells.  Note: Figures taken from table 7.6 of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005 found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosbl806section7.xls 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in her Department have had with the Law Officers on an interpretation of the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended) that would allow nurses to perform abortions; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: There is a long standing convention, followed by successive Governments, that neither the fact that the Law Officers have advised on a particular matter, nor the substance of any advice they may have given is publicly disclosed. The purpose of the convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.
	AC 800, [1981] 1 All ER 545, HL.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research her Department  (a) has undertaken,  (b) plans to undertake and  (c) has evaluated on the long-term effects of abortion on women that drew on (i) UK and (ii) international research; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what research has been  (a) funded and  (b) carried out by her Department on the symptoms of post-abortion depression; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The safety and psychological effects of abortion, both immediate and longer-term, were considered by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in its updated evidence-based guideline, 'The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion (2004)', copies of which are available in the Library. In updating the guidance, the RCOG took account of the most recent national and international evidence. This is taken into account in the recommendations concerning information for women and abortion aftercare.
	The Department has no current plans to commission any research in this area, but keeps all new and emerging evidence under review.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will amend the abortion notification form to distinguish between physical and mental health grounds for abortion; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The section of the abortion notification form that requests information on grounds already requires doctors to distinguish between physical and mental health grounds for abortion.
	The form was redesigned in 2002, following a consultation with stakeholders. We have no current plans to make further changes to the form.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals in England had acute accident and emergency facilities and accepted acute admissions in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Information is not collected in the format requested. National health service trusts self-report the number of accident and emergency (AE) services they provide against definitions provided by the Department for the three types of AE on a quarterly basis. The information available is provided in the following tables.
	Information on number of type one (major) AE services is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of type one (major) A  E services 
			 2001-02 196 
			 2002-03 209 
			 2003-04 208 
			 2004-05 207 
			 2005-06 203 
			 2006-07 204 
			  Note:  Position is at end March.  Source: Department of Health QMAE dataset. 
		
	
	Prior to 2000-01 trusts submitted written information on whether or not they provided AE services. They did not submit a count of the number of services provided. The following table shows information for the number of trusts that said yes to providing type one (major) AE services for the period available.
	
		
			   Number of trusts reporting type 1 (major) A  E services 
			 1996-97 205 
			 1997-98 202 
			 1998-99 194 
			 1999-2000 186 
			 2000-01 179 
			  Note: Position is at end March.  Source: Department of Health KH03 dataset. 
		
	
	Information on number of national health service trusts reporting emergency admissions via type 1 (major) AE departments is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of trusts reporting emergency admissions via type 1 AE departments 
			 1996-97 205 
			 1997-98 202 
			 1998-99 194 
			 1999-2000 186 
			 2000-01 179 
			 2001-02 168 
			 2002-03 159 
			 2003-04 155 
			 2004-05 155 
			 2005-06 155 
			 2006-07 156 
			  Source: Department of Health, QMAE dataset. 
		
	
	This does not include planned admissions in acute specialities.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Admissions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS organisations reported a large number of delays in the transfer of care for patients at accident and emergency who were brought by ambulance, referred to on page 12 of her Department's Winter Report 2006-07, published on 3 April 2007; for what reasons the delays in transfer of care occurred; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The statement
	a small number of organisations reported a large number of delays in the transfer of care for patients at AE who were brought in by ambulance
	in the Department's Winter Report 2006-07 arises from an assessment of information made available to the Department by strategic health authorities (SHAs) through routine winter self-reporting arrangements.
	From the information made available to the Department the trusts which reported the largest numbers of ambulances waiting last winter for transfer of care were:
	Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals National Health Service Trust;
	Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust;
	Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust;
	Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust; and
	Weston Area Healthcare NHS Trust.
	It is for local NHS organisations, overseen by SHAs, to ensure action locally in line with agreed escalation plans to overcome these operational problems. The reasons given for delays included instances of pressure on AE departments and hospital beds from large numbers of patients attending, as well as temporary restrictions caused by infections.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Alcoholic Drinks

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of admissions to NHS accident and emergency departments were alcohol- related in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: Information on attendances at accident and emergency departments (AE) for alcohol-related reasons is not held centrally. Listed as follows are admissions via accident and emergency to national health service hospitals in England for alcohol-related conditions. Also detailed are alcohol- related admissions as a percentage of total admissions via AE.
	Count of finished admission episodes where the patient was admitted via accident and emergency departments and count of finished admission episodes where the patient was admitted via accident and emergency with a primary or secondary diagnosis of alcohol-related illness for 2005-06.
	
		
			  NHS hospitals, England  2005-06 
			   Number 
			 Total admissions via AE 3,387,499 
			 Admissions with alcohol-related illness via AE 149,865 
			 Alcohol-related admissions as a percentage of total admissions via AE 4.42 
			  Notes: These figures represent a count of all finished in year admission episodes where the method of admission was coded as 21 Emergency: via accident and emergency services, including the casualty department of the provider; or 28 Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A and E department of another provider.  Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  All diagnoses count of episodes These figures represent a count of all finished in-year admission episodes where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record.  Diagnosis (primary diagnosis) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.  Secondary diagnoses As well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 13 (six prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care. The following diagnosis codes were used: F10 Mental and Behavioural Disorders Due to Use of Alcohol; K70 Alcoholic Liver Disease; T51 Toxic Effect of Alcohol.  Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS Trusts and primary care trusts in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source:  HES, The Information Centre for health and social care.

Acute Hospital Services

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 778, on acute hospital services, what cost was incurred by Surrey Primary Care Trust in employing the Matrix consultancy for the purpose of producing the document Squaring the Triangle on the reconfiguration of health services in Surrey; and whether she plans to visit the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford in 2007.

Caroline Flint: This is a matter for Surrey Primary Care Trust.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no current plans to visit the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford in 2007.

Aerials: Health Hazards

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what process is in place to continue to review the potential health impacts of mobile telephone masts; and what plans she has to report any changes in the scientific assessment.

Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency's Radiation Protection Division (HPA-RPD) continually monitors the health impact of mobile phone technologies. The research field was comprehensively reviewed in 'Health Effects from Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields - Report of an independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation' (Documents of the NRPB, Volume 14, No 2 2003).
	This report concludes that the weight of evidence now available does not suggest that there are adverse health effects from exposures to radiofrequency (RF) fields below guideline levels, but the published research on RF exposures and health has limitations, and mobile phones have only been in widespread use for a relatively short time. The possibility therefore remains open that there could be health effects from exposure to RF fields below guideline levels; hence continued research is needed.
	The report specifically mentions base stations (mobile telephone masts) saying exposure levels from living near to mobile phone base stations are extremely low, and the overall evidence indicates that they are unlikely to pose a risk to health.
	The full report is available in the Library and also at the HPA website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/documents_of_nrpb/abstracts/absdl4-2.htm
	The mobile telecommunications health research programme, jointly funded by Government and industry, is due to report later this year. Many of the studies supported under this programme have already been published and the details are available on its website at www.mthr.org.uk

AIDS: Medical Treatments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress she has made towards the target of universal access to treatment for all those with AIDS in the UK by 2010.

Caroline Flint: The national health service already provides access to treatment for HIV and AIDS for all people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, including refugees and asylum seekers. Data from the annual Survey of People with Diagnosed HIV indicated that in 2005 there were 47,517 individuals with diagnosed HIV seen for care in the UK.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will  (a) publish a review of the Government's first alcohol strategy and  (b) publish details of the second alcohol strategy; what procedure was used to consult on the second alcohol strategy; and what measures she plans to use to assess the performance of the alcohol strategies.

Caroline Flint: The Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England was published in 2004. It contained a commitment for its review during 2007 and this review is under way. We expect to publish a renewed strategy very shortly; this will set out the progress made towards the goals of the 2004 strategy and indicate how the progress which has been made already will be built upon in the future.
	The renewed strategy will set out the outcomes to be achieved. After publication, we will discuss how best to achieve the outcomes with stakeholders, and consult as appropriate on detailed proposals.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1771W, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential for fiscal incentives to promote responsible drinking.

Caroline Flint: Tax decisions are made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, taking account of a range of factors, including health.

Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's alcohol treatment strategy; whether she has means to gather best practice from different parts of the country; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England was published in 2004. It contained a commitment for its review during 2007 and this review is under way. We expect to publish a renewed strategy very shortly; this will set out the progress made towards the goals of the 2004 strategy and indicate how the progress which has been made already will be built upon in the future.
	Ongoing liaison with stakeholders has meant that officials and Ministers from the Government Departments dealing with the different aspects of alcohol policy are aware of many examples of good practice, both at regional and local level. Along with developments in the evidence base, examples of good practice are an important component of the review of progress and will also be drawn upon to support work to achieve the outcomes being set out in the renewed strategy.

Alzheimer's Disease: Drugs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease were dispensed in the community in each year since 1997; and at what net ingredient cost.

Caroline Flint: The number of prescription items and net ingredient cost of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (Donepezil, Galantamine, Memantine and Rivastigmine(1)) dispensed in the community in England is in the following table.
	(1) Rivastigmine is also licensed for dementia associated with Parkinson's disease and some of the data may relate to prescriptions dispensed for that condition.
	
		
			   Prescription items ( Thousand)  Net ingredient cost ( million ) 
			 1997 7.2 656.8 
			 1998 20.7 1,948.4 
			 1999 34.6 3,215.5 
			 2000 53.8 4,874.0 
			 2001 122.1 11,005.3 
			 2002 231.3 20,567.4 
			 2003 358.2 31,347.5 
			 2004 501.6 42,765.4 
			 2005 630.4 49,256.8 
			 2006 760.1 58,968.7 
			  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system.

Ambulance Services: Paramedical Staff

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all ambulances carry paramedics.

Andy Burnham: There is no regular collection of data on this subject. However national health service ambulance trusts have indicated that there is a paramedic on the majority of ambulance vehicles in England.
	The number of paramedics in England has increased by over 30 per cent. during the last decade(1). Work force plans developed by NHS ambulance trusts in England indicate that the number of paramedics will increase further over the next five years.
	Copies of the latest census are available at www.ic.nhs.uk.
	( 1)( ) Source:
	The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of changes in performance of ambulance trusts since trusts were merged in 2006.

Andy Burnham: Annual national health service ambulance trust performance data for 2006-07 are due to be published this summer, which will provide validated data for ambulance trusts post-merger.

Arthritis: Drugs

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the cost effectiveness models used by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence take into account potential savings in work-related benefits of treatments which enable people with rheumatoid arthritis to remain in or return to work.

Caroline Flint: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) published Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisal, states that, among other things, an appraisal committee may consider:
	significant resource costs imposed outside the NHS...[including] direct costs on patients or carers (for example, travel costs) or costs to other public sector organisations, but will not normally include productivity costs.
	NICE does not model the impact of its assessments on direct benefit payments, but the methodology NICE uses for assessing health-related quality of life incorporates the benefits to individuals of being able to work.

Aspartame

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will take steps to ban the use of aspartame in drink and food marketed for consumption by children; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will make it a requirement for manufacturers of drink and food containing aspartame to include in the labelling a warning of possible side effects; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that it has no plans to propose a ban on aspartame in foods for consumption by children. Legislation on sweeteners and other food additives is harmonised throughout the European Union and all additives permitted for use such as aspartame have been regularly assessed for safety by the independent scientific committees that advise the European Commission and the United Kingdom Government.
	In 2001, at the request of the FSA, the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food undertook a comprehensive review of the safety of aspartame. A further review of aspartame was carried out in 2006 by the European Food Safety Authority. Both reviews concluded that there was no evidence to suggest a need to revise their previous risk assessment of the sweetener, which concluded that aspartame is safe for use in food.
	Foods that contain aspartame must be labelled 'contains a source of phenylalanine' as a warning to the small group of people with the inherited disorder phenylketonuria who cannot metabolise the amino acid phenylalanine effectively.

Avian Influenza

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many members of staff from  (a) her Department,  (b) her Department's non-departmental public bodies and  (c) the Food Standards Agency have visited Hungary in relation to the inquiry into the outbreak of avian influenza at Holton; what plans she has to send further staff to Hungary; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Staff from the Department, its non-departmental bodies, or the Food Standards Agency have not made any visits to Hungary in relation to the inquiry into the outbreak of avian influenza in poultry at Holton and there are no plans so to visit.
	Inquiries into the source of the outbreak in poultry at Holton are a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Blood: Donors

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much her Department spent on increasing blood donations at regional transfusion centres in  (a) 1980,  (b) 1981,  (c) 1982,  (d) 1983 and  (e) 1984; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how much her Department spent on the production of blood products in the UK for use by haemophiliacs in the UK in  (a) 1985,  (b) 1986,  (c) 1987,  (d) 1988 and  (e) 1989; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 572W.

Blood: Imports

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much her Department spent on imported blood products from the United States in  (a) 1980,  (b) 1981,  (c) 1982,  (d) 1983 and  (e) 1984; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how much and what proportion of blood products given to haemophiliacs in  (a) 1985,  (b) 1986,  (c) 1987,  (d) 1988 and  (e) 1989 were sourced from UK donors; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how much and what proportion of blood products given to haemophiliacs in  (a) 1980,  (b) 1981,  (c) 1982,  (d) 1983 and  (e) 1984 were sourced from US donors; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what volume of factor VIII blood products was imported from the United States into the UK in  (a) 1980,  (b) 1981,  (c) 1982,  (d) 1983 and  (e) 1984; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  what volume of cryoprecipitate was available for use under the NHS in  (a) 1977,  (b) 1978,  (c) 1979,  (d) 1985,  (e) 1986,  (f) 1987,  (g) 1988 and  (h) 1989; and if she will make a statement;
	(6)  what volume of UK-sourced blood was fractionated to develop blood products for use by haemophiliacs in  (a) 1977,  (b) 1978,  (c) 1979,  (d) 1985,  (e) 1986,  (f) 1987,  (g) 1988 and  (h) 1989; and if she will make a statement;
	(7)  how much and what proportion of blood products given to haemophiliacs in  (a) 1977,  (b) 1978 and  (c) 1979 were sourced from UK donors; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 572-73W.

Blood: USA

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department received from the World Health Organisation on the safety of imported blood from the United States between 1977 and 1979; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 May 2007,  Official Report, column 717W.

BPL Elstree

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent on BPL Elstree in  (a) 1980,  (b) 1981,  (c) 1982,  (d) 1983,  (e) 1984,  (f) 1985,  (g) 1986,  (h) 1987 and  (i) 1988; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 571W.

Breast Cancer: Screening

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to provide breast cancer screening for women over the age of 70.

Rosie Winterton: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 27 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 1347-48W.

Cancer: Drugs

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what circumstances clinicians may prescribe Erlotinib; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make the drug Tarceva (Erlotinib) available to lung cancer sufferers in England; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is currently undertaking an appraisal of Erlotinib (Tarceva) for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Erlotinib is licensed for this indication and there are currently no national restrictions on the prescribing of this drug.

Catheters

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for the home provision of catheters; what the outcome was of the recent consultation on catheter provision; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 24 May 2007
	The review of the arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliancesand related servicesto primary care is still ongoing. This includes catheters. No decisions have been made.
	As outlined in the written statement of 23 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 78-79WS, the volume and complexity of the responses received following the latest consultations are such that the Department has decided that it needs more time to analyse the information provided. This analysis needs to take account of comments made about the Department's proposals regarding reimbursement for items and on the proposed levels of remuneration for particular servicessuch as home delivery.
	Consequently, no changes will be implemented in July 2007 as previously proposedand it is not expected that the review will be completed before the end of the year.
	In conducting this review, a key objective has been to maintain and improve the quality of patient care.

Chief Medical Officer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to alter the  (a) role and  (b) functions of her Department's Chief Medical Officer.

Ivan Lewis: There are no plans to alter the role and functions of the Chief Medical Officer. The Department is to appoint a medical director for the national health service who will champion clinical engagement in the NHS and lead work on standards and quality and clinical programmes. The postholder will also be a Deputy Chief Medical Officer, and the Chief Medical Officer will maintain professional oversight of the functions for which the medical director will be accountable.

Chips

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she has received on the quality and quantity of the fat content of  (a) oven-baked chips and (b) deep fried chips.

Caroline Flint: Data on the fat content of foods shows that oven chips contain less fat than deep fried chips. The latest data was published in McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods series in 2002, and is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Food description  Total fat (g/100g)  Saturated fat (g/100g) 
			 Oven chips, frozen, baked (1)4.2 1.8 
			 Chips homemade, fried in blended oil (1)6.7 0.6 
			 Chips retail, fried in blended oil (1)12.4 1.1 
			 French fries, retail (1)15.5 5.8 
			 Chips, straight cut, frozen fried in blended oil (1)13.5 1.2 
			 Chips fine cut, frozen, fried in blended oil (1)21.3 1.8 
			 (1) The fat content of chips will be variable and dependent on a number of factors related to their preparation, including how thick they are cut and their shape i.e. crinkle as opposed to straight cut.  Note: Data from Food Standards Agency (2002) McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, Sixth summary edition. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry. 
		
	
	Product development work carried out by manufacturers since this data was published may have changed the fat content of currently available commercial products.

Community Hospitals

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of the Productive Community Hospital project commissioned by the NHS Institute from CHKS Ltd.; when she expects to publish the report produced by CHKS; which community hospitals were found by the project not to have been visited by trust chief executives; and by what criteria the 30 community hospitals in phase three of the project were selected.

Andy Burnham: The value of the contract held between the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (NHSII) and CHKS Ltd. is 20,000. The report from CHKS has already been published and is available from the NHSII website at www.institute.nhs.uk/productivecommunityhospital. The selection criteria for the 30 hospitals participating in the focused survey can be found on page 12 of the full report. It is not possible to list the community hospitals that were not visited by trust chief executives as the research was conducted in confidence and releasing this information would violate the agreement that CHKS Ltd. had with participating hospitals.

Contraception: Young People

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department  (a) has undertaken,  (b) plans to undertake and  (c) has evaluated on the effectiveness of use of the morning after pill in reducing teenage pregnancies; how many and what percentage of teenagers requesting the morning after pill in the last 12 months were using (i) condoms and (ii) combined pill contraception at the time of conception; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: No research has been commissioned or planned in this specific area. Given the complex set of factors that influence young people's sexual behaviour and outcomes, it is not possible to attribute reductions in teenage pregnancy rates to a single intervention or measure. International evidence from countries with low teenage pregnancy rates indicates that a multi-faceted strategy needs to be in place, providing comprehensive programmes of sex and relationships education, easy access to contraceptive and sexual health advice for sexually active young people and support for parents to have open and honest discussions with their children about sex and relationships. This is the basis for our strategy which, since its launch, has resulted in a reduction of 11.8 per cent. in the under-18 conception rate, to its lowest level for over 20 years.
	The information relating to the percentage of teenagers requesting emergency hormonal contraception who are already using other methods of contraception is not collected centrally.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will commission research on deep vein thrombosis experienced by people travelling on long distance coach journeys to and from all-seater sporting venues.

Caroline Flint: No. We know from research funded in part by the Department and by the Department of Transport that all forms of travel involving a journey of four hours or more leads to an increase in the risk of blood clots forming in the veins of the legs.

Departmental Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's total expenditure has been in each of the last three years on  (a) newspapers, magazines and periodicals,  (b) landscape gardening and flora and  (c) (i) stationery and (ii) promotional merchandise branded with the name of the Department.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's library service is responsible for the central purchasing of newspapers, magazines and periodicals for library use and retention by individual units. Suppliers who have been chosen by competitive tendering every three to five years are used.
	Expenditure details are kept on a central system but it does not differentiate between expenditure on newspapers, magazines and periodicals.
	Total expenditure for the financial years 2004-05 to 2006-07 is:
	
		
			
			 2004-05 380,025 
			 2005-06 395,148 
			 2006-07 350,930 
		
	
	The Department's expenditure on landscaping and flora for the period 2004-2006 is set out as follows:
	
		
			
			 2004 13,445.35 
			 2005 13,714.26 
			 2006 14,405.28 
		
	
	The Department's total spend on stationery for the period 2004-05 to 2006-07 is as follows:
	
		
			
			 2004-05 915,383.86 
			 2005-06 1,619,021.35 
			 2006-07 623,338.21 
		
	
	The Department does not provide materials for the purpose of promoting the Department itself, therefore there are no figures available centrally. However, individual projects and programmes within the Department may occasionally produce materials to promote their aims and objectives which are branded with the Department's logo.

Departmental Gifts

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what gifts have been received by  (a) Ministers and  (b) special advisers in her Department in each financial year since 1997-98; on what date each gift was given; what the estimated cost was of each gift; and who the (i) donor and (ii) recipient was in each case.

Rosie Winterton: This Government publishes an annual list of gifts received by Ministers valued at more than 140. The first list was published in 2003 and covered the period from 2001 to 2003. Since then lists have been published annually. Previous lists are available in the Library. Information for 2006-07 is currently being collected and will be published soon.
	Information related to gifts received by Ministers since 2001 is published on the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/
	The other information requested from 1997 is not available.

Departments: Consultants

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has required any of the management, IT or other consultants involved in the Medical Training Application Service to repay any fees or expenses.

Rosie Winterton: This matter is under review.

Departments: Delivery Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which projects in her Department the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit has assessed in the last 12 months.

Ivan Lewis: In the last 12 months, the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit has assessed the following Department of Health projects: 18 weeks, choice of four providers, practice-based commissioning, the overall NHS reform programme, childhood obesity, child and adolescent mental health services, and primary care trust capability.

Departments: Disciplinary Proceedings

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many grievance procedures have been initiated in her Department in the last 12 months.

Ivan Lewis: 14 grievance procedures have been initiated in the Department in the last year.

Departments: Intimidation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints of bullying have been investigated in her Department in the last 12 months; and how many complaints have been upheld.

Ivan Lewis: In the last 12 months, there have been nine Fairness and Respect at Work cases in which bullying was raised. Although for some it was only part of the overall complaint.
	Four cases, from those nine, have been completed and five are ongoing. In all four of the completed cases the claims of bullying were not upheld.

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people took sick leave for stress in her Department in the last 12 months; and what percentage of the total staff number this represents.

Ivan Lewis: In the year ended 31 March 2007, 129 people were recorded on our sickness absence database as taking sick leave under a category defined as mental healthincluding depression, anxiety and potential stress related problems.
	This represents 5.6 per cent. of the total staff number.

Departments: Sovereign Strategy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from her Department held with Sovereign Strategy in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Ivan Lewis: There have not been any meetings between departmental Ministers or permanent secretaries with Sovereign Strategy between 1997 and 2006. Information on meetings with all officials is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Training

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where the combined Ministerial and Departmental Board Away Day, referred to in the minutes of the Departmental Management Board meeting of 5 October 2006 was held; and what the cost was of the away day.

Ivan Lewis: The joint Ministerial and Departmental Management Board away day was held in Skipton House, one of the Department's buildings in the London Estate. The total cost of the meeting was 3,687.

Departments: Westminster City Council

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which grants for which her Department is responsible have been made to Westminster City council since 1997-98; and what the value was of each grant.

Ivan Lewis: The grants made to Westminster City council in each year since 1997-98 by this Department, as recorded by the council in the Communities and Local Government Revenue returns, are as follows
	
		
			  000 
			  1997-98  
			 Social Services Training Support Programme 215 
			 HIV and AIDS 800 
			 Alcohol and Drug Misuse 56 
			 Mental Illness 1,206 
			 Guardians ad Litem 29 
			 Community Care Special Transitional Grant 2,305 
			   
			  1998-99  
			 Social Services Training Support Programme 196 
			 AIDS Support 770 
			 Drug and Alcohol Misusers 23 
			 Mental Health 574 
			 Community Care Special Transitional Grant 2,171 
			   
			  1999-2000  
			 Social Services Training Support Programme 185 
			 AIDS Support 810 
			 Drug and Alcohol Misusers 17 
			 Mental Health 1,225 
			 Promoting Independence: Partnership 1,280 
			 Promoting Independence: Prevention 121 
			 Promoting Independence: Carers 137 
			 Children's Services' (Quality Protects) 751 
			   
			  2000-01  
			 Social Services Training Support Programme 322 
			 AIDS Support 756 
			 Drug and Alcohol Misusers 92 
			 Mental Health 812 
			 Promoting Independence: Partnership 2,606 
			 Children's Services (Quality Protects) 1,231 
			   
			  2001-02  
			 Social Services Training Support Programme 332 
			 AIDS/HIV Support 688 
			 Mental Health 1,101 
			 Promoting Independence 1,979 
			 Promoting Independence: Carers 554 
			 Children's Social Services 3,016 
			   
			  2002-03  
			 Social Services Training Support Programme 369 
			 AIDS/HIV Support 547 
			 Mental Health 1,013 
			 Promoting Independence 1,150 
			 Preserved Rights 2,906 
			 Residential Allowance 606 
			 Carers Grant 696 
			 Young People's Substance Misuse Planning 148 
			 Performance Fund 302 
			 Building Care Capacity 884 
			 Children's Social Services 5,131 
			 Teenage Pregnancy Local Implementation 6 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 Access and Systems Capacity 840 
			 AIDS/HIV Support 489 
			 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services 353 
			 Carers 614 
			 Mental Health 1,354 
			 Performance 498 
			 Preserved Rights 3,456 
			 Training Support 230 
			   
			  2004-05  
			 Access and Systems Capacity 2,231 
			 AIDS Support 442 
			 Carers 776 
			 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services 498 
			 Delayed Discharges 482 
			 Human Resources Development Strategy 145 
			 Mental Health 1,017 
			 National Training Strategy 193 
			 Preserved Rights 2,618 
			 Residential Allowance 1,688 
			 Training Support Programme 351 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 Access and Systems Capacity 3,093 
			 AIDS Support 397 
			 Carers 1,296 
			 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services 608 
			 Delayed Discharges 463 
			 Human Resources Development Strategy 450 
			 Mental Health 1,092 
			 National Training Strategy 381 
			 Preserved Rights 2,051 
			 Residential Allowance 806 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 Access and Systems Capacity 2,892 
			 AIDS Support 397 
			 Carers 1,261 
			 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services 827 
			 Delayed Discharges 550 
			 Human Resources Development Strategy 342 
			 Mental Health 1,099 
			 National Training Strategy 739 
			 Preventative Technology 168 
			 Preserved Rights 1,793

Depression: Diamorphine

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the net ingredient cost of  (a) anti-depressants and  (b) diamorphine dispensed in the community was in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The net ingredient cost (NIC) for anti-depressants and diamorphine hydrochloride dispensed in the community, in England, from 1997 to 2006, is in the following table:
	
		
			  NIC ( 000 ) 
			   Diamorphine hydrochloride  Anti-depressants 
			 1997 3,748 239,121 
			 1998 3,808 279,004 
			 1999 3,693 315,269 
			 2000 3,553 310,378 
			 2001 3,287 341,661 
			 2002 3,312 380,883 
			 2003 3,686 395,178 
			 2004 3,974 400,682 
			 2005 1,803 338,547 
			 2006 3,532 291,511 
		
	
	For diamorphine, the British National Formulary (BNF) chemical name of 'diamorphine hydrochloride' is used. For anti-depressants, the figures cover all dispensing in the BNF section 4.3.
	The use of diamorphine hydrochloride in 2005 was affected by supply problems. Costs of anti-depressants and diamorphine hydrochloride in 2005 and 2006 were affected by the new PPRS agreement (February 2005) and new arrangements for generic prices introduced in April 2005.

Doctors: Contracts

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date her Department gained Treasury approval for  (a) the new GP contract introduced in 2004 and  (b) the new consultant contract introduced in 2003.

Rosie Winterton: New contracts for doctors formed part of the discussions between the Department and HM Treasury on the SR02 spending review, which concluded in July 2002.

Doctors: Training

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many non-EEA doctors have obtained training posts in the first round of application through the Medical Training Application Service.

Rosie Winterton: As the process is ongoing, it is not yet possible to provide a breakdown of numbers as requested.

Doctors: Training

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to encourage junior doctors who do not get a run-through training post to remain in the UK.

Rosie Winterton: The Review Group is exploring the possibilities for creating further training opportunities where these can support local workforce requirements. For junior doctors who do not get a run-through training post there are a number of options, including, as in the past, non-training service posts, fixed term specialist training appointments and any other training posts that will continue to become available over the year. The Review Group is also exploring ways to support any doctors who do not secure training and to maximize the employment opportunities for them in the United Kingdom.

Doctors: Training

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Medical Training Application Service system will be audited and reviewed before doctors are allocated their jobs; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: A full security review of the system has now been completed by information technology security testing specialists, MWR Infosecurity. Action has been taken to further strengthen the security arrangements and MWR now consider the Medical Training Application System site to be robust and above average for security. Both MWR and CESG (Communications Electronic Security Group), the national technical authority for information assurance, have confirmed that appropriate and sufficiently comprehensive action has been taken. The site was therefore re-opened on 4 May, restricted to postgraduate deaneries only, to support the next steps in the recruitment process. Given the continuing concerns about MTAS, the computer system will now not be used for matching candidates to training posts, but will continue to be used for national monitoring.

Drugs: Greater London

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were referred to NHS services as a result of drug addiction in each London health trust area in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: The information is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows the number of referrals made by drug action teams in London from 2004.
	
		
			   Number of referrals 
			  Drug action team (DAT)  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Barking and Dagenham 404 500 734 
			 Havering 341 295 538 
			 Camden 1,079 1,043 1,989 
			 Islington 949 921 1,789 
			 City of London 15 21 40 
			 Hackney 694 446 1,675 
			 Lambeth 938 1,248 1,990 
			 Lewisham 655 791 1,216 
			 Southwark 971 1,145 1,997 
			 Redbridge 452 489 728 
			 Waltham Forest 443 589 998 
			 Barnet 397 499 847 
			 Bexley 241 223 400 
			 Brent 453 476 1,164 
			 Bromley 377 382 845 
			 Croydon 640 635 1,232 
			 Ealing 872 938 1,545 
			 Enfield 390 411 811 
			 Greenwich 576 610 1,001 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 756 900 1,897 
			 Haringey 722 726 1,348 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 643 472 1,356 
			 Kingston upon Thames 300 299 502 
			 Merton 559 482 782 
			 Newham 662 652 1,412 
			 Richmond upon Thames 495 384 765 
			 Sutton 403 483 832 
			 Tower Hamlets 827 920 1,716 
			 Wandsworth 578 657 1,327 
			 Westminster 819 889 1,938 
			 Harrow 426 423 789 
			 Hillingdon 384 397 692 
			 Hounslow 610 748 1,117 
			 Total 19,071 20,094 38,012

Drugs: Greater London

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the total cost of treating  (a) drug,  (b) alcohol and  (c) smoking related illnesses in each London primary care trust in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not held centrally. However, the following table shows the cost of drug related illnesses broken down by Drug Action Teams in London, with allocations for 2007-08 to be finalised in June.
	Nationally, the national health service spends between 1.4 billion and 1.7 billion on alcohol related illnesses, and 1.4 billion and 1.7 billion on smoking related illnesses.
	
		
			   PTB for 
			  Drug action team  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Barking and Dagenham 111 1,019 1,149 1,430 1,849 
			 Barnet 955 1,205 1,309 1,576 2,030 
			 Bexley 600 759 827 997 1,287 
			 Brent 1,417 1,909 2,201 2,795 3,605 
			 Bromley 716 901 978 1,175 1,510 
			 Camden 2,017 2,466 2,599 3,033 3,914 
			 City of London 14 23 31 44 58 
			 Croydon 1,212 1,565 1,738 2,135 2,753 
			 Ealing 1,794 2,135 2,188 2,480 3,195 
			 Enfield 1,093 1,458 1,669 2,104 2,704 
			 Greenwich 1,449 1,867 2,070 2,538 3,261 
			 Hackney 2,112 2,749 3,077 3,806 4,920 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,340 1,616 1,679 1,931 2,500 
			 Haringey 1,547 2,096 2,430 3,099 3,988 
			 Harrow 542 689 754 914 1,185 
			 Havering 566 711 770 924 1,192 
			 Hillingdon 888 1,038 1,043 1,157 1,494 
			 Hounslow 861 1,041 1,084 1,250 1,612 
			 Islington 2,451 2,950 3,059 3,511 4,507 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,817 1,999 1,999 2,099 2,699 
			 Kingston upon Thames 658 725 725 761 977 
			 Lambeth 2,439 3,266 3,748 4,739 6,083 
			 Lewisham 2,023 2,586 2,847 3,468 4,469 
			 Merton 804 949 964 1,081 1,389 
			 Newham 2,164 2,984 3,509 4,529 5,801 
			 Redbridge 678 929 1,087 1,398 1,798 
			 Richmond upon Thames 687 756 756 793 1,021 
			 Southwark 2,274 3,052 3,510 4,446 5,739 
			 Sutton 568 662 664 733 940 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,988 2,731 3,202 4,124 5,272 
			 Waltham Forest 958 1,357 1,630 2,141 2,733 
			 Wandsworth 1,663 2,000 2,073 2,378 3,063 
			 Westminster 2,729 3,002 3,002 3,152 4,042 
			 London total 43,801 55,195 60,371 72,741 93,590

Dyspraxia

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many children and young people were diagnosed with dyspraxia in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many children and young people diagnosed with dyspraxia were referred to mental health services in each of the last five years for which records are available; and what the cost was of the use of mental health services by those people to the NHS.

Caroline Flint: This information is not available centrally.

Electric Cables: Health Hazards

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response she has made to the Stakeholder Advisory Group on Extremely Low Frequency Waves and Electric Magnetic Fields report, Power lines and Property, wiring in homes and electrical equipment in homes, with particular reference to the building of new homes and schools near power lines; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: I have been asked to reply.
	Government have sought advice from the Health Protection Agency on the recently published report by the Stakeholder Advisory Group on Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields. Government are considering the implications of the report's conclusions and recommendations and will respond in due course.

Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the recently-published Stakeholder Advisory Group on Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields report on precautionary measures to protect the public against exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields; and if she will make a statement.

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account she takes of public concern in determining suitable precautionary measures on power frequency electric and magnetic fields (EMFs); what mechanism she plans to put in place to assess public opinion on the issues raised by the recently published Stakeholder Advisory Group on Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields report on precautionary approaches to power frequency EMFs; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department notes the publication of the report by the Stakeholder Advisory Group on extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields and acknowledges the hard work that has gone into its production. The Government will need time to consider the implications of the report's conclusions and recommendations.

Eyesight: Computers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of how many people working with visual display units take up their entitlement under the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations (1992) for an eye and eyesight test paid for by their employer.

Anne McGuire: I have been asked to reply.
	Research commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive estimated in 1997 that nearly 1 million people in Great Britain had received eye and eyesight tests provided by their employer under these regulations.

Food Standards Agency

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the work of the Food Standards Agency.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is an independent Government Department set up in 2000 by an Act of Parliament to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food. Its core values include being open and transparent in the work that it does. It is not subject to an assessment by the Department. However, I hold regular meetings with the FSA to review general matters and the organisation is accountable to Parliament through Ministers by means of an annual report.

Food Standards Agency: Smith Institute

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) value and  (b) purpose was of each payment made by the Food Standards Agency to the Smith Institute since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency made a payment of 10,000 to the Smith Institute in 2006. This was to sponsor a seminar on the Effects of Nutrition in School Attainment.

Food: Hygiene

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will delay the decision on implementation of the Hygiene of Foodstuffs Regulation (EC) number 852/2004.

Caroline Flint: European Union Regulations are directly applicable law and Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 has applied in the UK since 1 January 2006.

Food: Labelling

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many investigations into falsely labelled food the Food Standards Agency carried out in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: Investigations into falsely labelled food are not carried out directly by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The FSA has the overall policy responsibility for food labelling, however the enforcement of the legislation is undertaken by food enforcement officers who are employed by local authorities.
	It should be noted that the FSA was not formed until 2000, therefore the information between 1997 and 2000 is not available. The FSA does receive annual returns from food enforcement authorities on the work they carry out. The requested information for the period 2001-06 cannot be broken down specifically to false labelling investigations. However, the following table shows the number of food samples taken formally for both labelling and compositional standards.
	
		
			   Formal samples  Unsatisfactory samples  Formal samples which lead to legal proceedings  Establishments prosecuted 
			 2001 11,161 2,833 122 150 
			 2002 12,119 2,829 63 161 
			 2003 12,007 3,065 92 193 
			 2004-05 9,559 2,489 106 149 
			 2005-06 8,680 2,784 130 87

Food: Labelling

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 585W, on food: labelling, what account was taken of typical portion size in developing the Food Standards Agency's nutrient profiling model; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency's nutrient profiling (NP) model has been developed solely as a tool for Ofcom to use to redress the imbalance of foods high in fat, salt and sugar being advertised to children through television. The issue of portion size was discussed by the expert group which advised the FSA on the development of the model, an independently chaired academic workshop and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. Each concluded that using a per portion approach would introduce several difficulties since serving sizes and consumption patterns are an individual matter and cannot be standardised.
	The FSA's nutrient profiling (NP) model has not been developed to provide dietary advice or used in labelling.

General Practitioners

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of GP practices in each English constituency have closed their lists to new patients.

Andy Burnham: The results for the primary care access survey, February 2007, show that in England 214 practices have been reported as having closed lists, this represents 2.5 per cent, of the total.
	The Department does not collect or hold this information broken down by constituency but the following table shows these data by strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT). The data were collected in February 2007.
	
		
			   Closed lists 
			   Number of practices whose list is closed for new patients to register  Percentage of (all) practices whose list is closed for new patients to register 
			 England 214 2.5 
			  Strategic health authority   
			 North East 12 2.9 
			 North West 59 4.4 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 26 3.1 
			 East Midlands 3 0.5 
			 West Midlands 43 4.2 
			 East of England 25 3.1 
			 London 16 1.0 
			 South East Coast 22 3.3 
			 South Central 3 0.6 
			 South West 5 0.7 
			
			  Primary care trusts   
			 County Durham PCT 0 0.0 
			 Darlington PCT 0 0.0 
			 Gateshead PCT 2 5.9 
			 Hartlepool PCT 0 0.0 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 0 0.0 
			 Newcastle PCT 0 0.0 
			 North Tyneside PCT 0 0.0 
			 Northumberland Care Trust 1 2.0 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 0 0.0 
			 South Tyneside PCT 8 25.0 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Teaching 0 0.0 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT 1 1.9 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 0 0.0 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 4 12.1 
			 Blackpool PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bolton PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bury PCT 2 6.1 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 1 1.9 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 7 7.4 
			 Cumbria PCT 7 7.2 
			 East Lancashire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Halton and St Helens PCT 0 0.0 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 1 2.9 
			 Knowsley PCT 0 0.0 
			 Liverpool PCT 0 0.0 
			 Manchester PCT 9 8.5 
			 North Lancashire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Oldham PCT 0 0.0 
			 Salford PCT 10 17.2 
			 Sefton PCT 3 5.5 
			 Stockport PCT 0 0.0 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 2 5.0 
			 Trafford PCT 10 21.3 
			 Warrington PCT 3 10.3 
			 Western Cheshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Wirral PCT 0 0.0 
			 Barnsley PCT 1 2.3 
			 Bradford and Airedale PCT 13 14.9 
			 Calderdale PCT 0 0.0 
			 Doncaster PCT 0 0.0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 2 4.8 
			 Hull PCT 8 13.3 
			 Kirklees PCT 0 0.0 
			 Leeds PCT 1 0.9 
			 North East Lincolnshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 0 0.0 
			 Rotherham PCT 0 0.0 
			 Sheffield PCT 1 1.0 
			 Wakefield District PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bassetlaw PCT 0 0.0 
			 Derby City PCT 0 0.0 
			 Derbyshire County PCT 0 0.0 
			 Leicester City PCT 1 1.4 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 1 1.2 
			 Lincolnshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Northamptonshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Nottingham City PCT 0 0.0 
			 Nottinghamshire County PCT 1 1.0 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 1 1.2 
			 Coventry Teaching PCT 2 3.0 
			 Dudley PCT 32 57.1 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 4 5.2 
			 Herefordshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 North Staffordshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Sandwell PCT 0 0.0 
			 Shropshire County PCT 0 0.0 
			 Solihull PCT 0 0.0 
			 South Birmingham PCT 1 1.5 
			 South Staffordshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Stoke on Trent PCT 2 3.4 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 0 0.0 
			 Walsall Teaching PCT 0 0.0 
			 Warwickshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT 1 1.4 
			 Worcestershire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 4 7.3 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 2 2.6 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 3 9.1 
			 Luton Teaching PCT 9 28.1 
			 Mid Essex PCT 1 2.0 
			 Norfolk PCT 0 0.0 
			 North East Essex PCT 0 0.0 
			 Peterborough PCT 3 9.4 
			 South East Essex PCT 0 0.0 
			 South West Essex PCT 2 2.4 
			 Suffolk PCT 1 1.4 
			 West Essex PCT 0 0.0 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 1 1.8 
			 Barnet PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bexley Care Trust 0 0.0 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 2 2.8 
			 Bromley PCT 2 3.7 
			 Camden PCT 1 2.3 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 0 0.0 
			 Croydon PCT 0 0.0 
			 Ealing PCT 3 3.4 
			 Enfield PCT 0 0.0 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 1 1.5 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 0 0.0 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 0 0.0 
			 Harrow PCT 1 2.6 
			 Havering PCT 0 0.0 
			 Hillingdon PCT 2 3.9 
			 Hounslow PCT 1 1.7 
			 Islington PCT 0 0.0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 0 0.0 
			 Kingston PCT 0 0.0 
			 Lambeth PCT 0 0.0 
			 Lewisham PCT 1 2.0 
			 Newham PCT 0 0.0 
			 Redbridge PCT 0 0.0 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 0 0.0 
			 Southwark PCT 0 0.0 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 0 0.0 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 1 2.7 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 0 0.0 
			 Wandsworth PCT 0 0.0 
			 Westminster PCT 0 0.0 
			 Brighton and Hove City PCT 0 0.0 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 0 0.0 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 0 0.0 
			 Hastings and Rother PCT 0 0.0 
			 Medway Teaching PCT 3 4.5 
			 Surrey PCT 4 2.9 
			 West Kent PCT 14 13.3 
			 West Sussex PCT 1 1.0 
			 Berkshire East PCT 1 1.8 
			 Berkshire West PCT 0 0.0 
			 Buckinghamshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Hampshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Isle of Wight Healthcare PCT 0 0.0 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 1 3.6 
			 Oxfordshire PCT 1 1.2 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 0 0.0 
			 Southampton City PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bournemouth and Poole PCT 1 2.0 
			 Bristol PCT 0 0.0 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 1 1.4 
			 Devon PCT 0 0.0 
			 Dorset PCT 0 0.0 
			 Gloucestershire PCT 0 0.0 
			 North Somerset PCT 0 0.0 
			 Plymouth Teaching PCT 0 0.0 
			 Somerset PCT 0 0.0 
			 South Gloucestershire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Swindon PCT 3 9.1 
			 Torbay Care Trust 0 0.0 
			 Wiltshire PCT 0 0.0

General Practitioners: Working Hours

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition she uses of universal GP opening hours, as referred to on page 23 of the Department of Health's research report, Our health, our care, our sayone year on.

Andy Burnham: The document Our health, our care, our say: One year on was prepared by Opinion Leader Research and reports a public event on 27 March 2007. The term universal opening hours was used in discussion by members of the public at that event and is not a statement of departmental policy.

Health Services: Portsmouth

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Portsmouth, North constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on Portsmouth, North constituency.

Caroline Flint: The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Portsmouth, North constituency.
	For example:
	At the end of February 2007 the number of people waiting more than 26 weeks for in-patient treatment within Portsmouth City Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) had fallen to zero from 1,005 in June 2002.
	At the end of February 2007 the number of people waiting more than 13 weeks for out-patient treatment within Portsmouth City Teaching PCT had fallen to zero from 939 in June 2002, Portsmouth City PCT funding has increased by over 31.5 per cent. (47.1 million) in the three years from 2003-04 to 2005-06.
	The PCT's funding will increase by 19.2 per cent. (41 million) in the two years from 2006-07 to 2007-08. By 2007-08, the PCT will have reached its fair funding allocation target.
	98.4 per cent. of patients attending the A and E department at Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust are seen within four hours.
	99.7 per cent. of people referred urgently by their general practitioner see a cancer specialist within two weeks.
	95.4 per cent. of cancer patient referrals are treated within two months.
	Compared to 1997 Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust now has:
	123 more consultants;
	159 more doctors in training;
	707 more nurses; and
	164 more health care assistants.
	A major 236 million private finance initiative redevelopment scheme is under way on the Queen Alexandra hospital site. Currently acute services are provided across three sites, the redevelopment of the Queen Alexandra hospital site will enable all acute services the trust provides to be housed on one site. To date 55 million of construction has been carried out.

Health Services: West Sussex

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make an assessment of the effect of recent trends in immigration on the delivery of  (a) maternity and  (b) accident and emergency services in West Sussex.

Caroline Flint: It is for local primary care trusts in conjunction with other stakeholders, to make assessments of current and future health needs and to commission services accordingly.

Heart Diseases: Consultants

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many interventional cardiologists were practising in the NHS in each year since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally. It is not possible to separately identify interventional cardiologists from the rest of the cardiology workforce.

Hepatitis: Screening

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will assess the merits of introducing a policy of screening patients having routine check-ups or blood tests for hepatitis C.

Caroline Flint: The prevalence of chronic hepatitis C infection in England is relatively low and it would not be appropriate to offer hepatitis C testing routinely to the general population. The Department has published information and guidance for health professionals and the public, highlighting those groups considered to be at risk of hepatitis C infection and who should be offered testing or should consider being tested, for hepatitis C infection.

Hospital Wards

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1510W, on hospital wards 
	(1)  when she determined the timescale for publication;
	(2)  what comprehensive assessment of the situation was undertaken between 30 April and 9 May 2007.

Rosie Winterton: The timescale for publication was decided over a period of weeks. A May publication was mooted in mid-April, but at this stage no specific date was confirmed. A final decision to publish on 10 May was made on 4 May.
	The assessment leading to the report commenced in late November 2006, when strategic health authorities (SHA) were asked to review the situation in their areas. Between 30 April and 9 May, final checking of the information was undertaken, confirmed SHAs intention to publish local position statements.

Hospital Wards: Warwickshire

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients have been located in mixed sex wards at the  (a) Walsgrave,  (b) Warwick,  (c) Alcester,  (d) Stratford-upon-Avon and  (e) Ellen Badger hospitals since May 2006;
	(2)  what the reasons were for the location of patients in mixed sex wards at  (a) Walsgrave,  (b) Warwick,  (c) Alcester,  (d) Stratford-upon-Avon and  (e) Ellen Badger hospitals since May 2006.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, standards of privacy and dignity are measured by the Healthcare Commission against two core standards, which require that:
	(C13a) Staff treat patients, their relatives and carers with dignity and respect; and
	(C20b) Health care services are provided in environments which promote effective care and optimize health outcomes by being supportive of patient privacy and confidentiality.
	The boards of all national health service trusts in England are required to make public declarations annually on the extent to which they meet the core standards set by the Government. In 2005-06, the following NHS organisations all declared that they were compliant with the two privacy and dignity core standards detailed above:
	South Warwickshire General Hospitals NHS Trust (responsible for the Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon hospitals);
	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (responsible for Walsgrave hospital); and
	South Warwickshire Primary Care Trust (formerly responsible for Alcester and Ellen Badger Hospitals).

Hospitals: Construction

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the capital cost of building a medium-sized district general hospital.

Andy Burnham: An indicative cost of building a medium-sized district general hospital is approximately 240 million (excluding VAT) which reflects the current business case approval level. The cost includes the capital construction cost for a new 418 bed hospital built on a green field site, together with supporting services such as operating theatres, out-patient department, accident and emergency services, catering, office accommodation, public areas, pharmacy, pathology and radiography. The cost also includes equipment costs and professional fees incurred. It does not include the running costs to make the hospital operational, such as staffing and other hard and soft facilities management services.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the latest figures are for the incidence of  acinetobacter baumannii in England; whether there is in place a system for  (a) the reporting and  (b) the investigation of all cases; whether a process for identifying  acinetobacte r baumannii is undertaken as a matter of course; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) asks microbiology laboratories to report all cases of bloodstream infections caused by Acinetobacter species, this is the voluntary surveillance system.
	The latest figures(1) of  A. baumannii bloodstream infections under the HPA's voluntary reporting scheme for England are as shown.
	
		
			   Number of infections 
			 2001 207 
			 2002 265 
			 2003 295 
			 2004 310 
			 2005 341 
			  Source: HPA 
		
	
	Investigation of cases will be decided locally however in addition to voluntary surveillance the HPA also collects data on resistant organisms including Acinetobacter spp (species), and provides a reference service for investigating unusually resistant bacteria and the mechanisms responsible for their resistance, and seeks to identify options for treating infections.
	The HPA has been involved in the investigation and characterisation of multi-resistant clones of Acinetobacter that have been associated with outbreaks in hospitals, particularly in London and south east England(2,)( )(3). The HPA has published guidance on the control of outbreaks of multi-resistant Acinetobacter(4).
	The widely used commercial identification systems are often inadequate for the routine identification of specific Acinetobacter spp. owing to their poor reactivity in these test systems. The level of species identification varies between hospital laboratories. Some laboratories may classify isolates only to Acinetobacter spp. level unless they have an ongoing problem with multi-resistant strains.
	(1) Acinetobacter spp bacteraemia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2005. Communicable Disease Report Weekly 2006; 16 (13 October 2006) http://www.hpa.org.uk/cdr/archives/2006/cdr4206.pdf
	(2) JF Turton, ME Kaufmann, M Warner et al. A prevalent, multi-resistant clone of Acinetobacter baumanii in Southeast England. Journal of Hospital Infection 2004; 58: 170-179.
	(3) JM Coelho, JF Turton, ME Kaufman et al. Occurrence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumanii clones at multiple hospitals in London and Southeast England. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 2006; 44: 3623-3627.
	(4) Interim guidance on the control of outbreaks of multi-resistant Acinetobacter. http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/acinetobacter_b/guidance.htm

Infectious Diseases: Disease Control

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether one million NHS staff have received training in infection control, as referred to by her Department's Chief Nursing Officer in her speech to the Chief Nursing Officer's conference of 3 November 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Information about the number of national health service staff who have received infection control training is not held centrally.
	Progression of infection control training is centred upon a number of activities at both the national and local level. The statutory Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Health Care Associated Infections lays on NHS bodies a duty to ensure that all staff are suitably educated in the prevention and control of these infections.
	At the time of making the speech referred to, the Chief Nursing Officer was highlighting the importance of infection control training, in the context of the NHS Agenda for Change Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF), which was to be launched in December 2004.
	In particular, under the KSF, staff at all levels must have a core health and safety dimension (which includes infection control) as part of their KSF outline. Delivery of this component of the KSF is a matter for local determination. A key resource, with potential to assist staff in fulfilling the KSF requirement is the NHS Infection Control Programme, which was published in September 2005 by the NHS Core Learning Unit. This is a free to access, on-line learning programme, aimed at all staff, which covers critical aspects of infection prevention practice.

Influenza: Vaccination

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure on advertising campaigns in support of the seasonal influenza immunisation programme was in  (a) real and  (b) cash terms in each year since 2000-01.

Caroline Flint: Total expenditure on advertising campaigns in support of the seasonal influenza immunisation programme in each year since 2000-01, broken down into real and cash terms is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Flu campaignadvertising spend 
			   million 
			   Cash  Real 
			 2000-01 2.02 2.02 
			 2001-02 1.45 1.41 
			 2002-03 2.00 2.00 
			 2003-04 1.60 1.58 
			 2004-05 1.50 1.50 
			 2005-06 1.85 1.81 
			 2006-07 1.10 1.10

Influenza: Vaccination

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many influenza vaccine doses have been secured for the winter of 2007-08; from which manufacturers this supply has been secured; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The forecasts from the UK Vaccine Industry Group (UVIG) is that 15.75 million doses of flu vaccine will be available for the United Kingdom for the 2007-08 seasonal flu programme.
	The Department does not purchase flu vaccine. It is the responsibility of general practitioners to order their vaccine direct from the supplier of their choice based on the number of eligible patients on their register. There are currently six suppliers of flu vaccine to the UK market and these are Sanofi Pasteur MSD, Novartis Vaccines (formerly Chiron Vaccines), GlaxoSmithKline, MASTA, Solvay Healthcare and Wyeth Vaccines.

Keep Well, Keep Warm

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the overall cost was to  (a) her Department and  (b) the NHS of the Keep Well, Keep Warm campaign in 2006-07.

Caroline Flint: The overall cost to the Department's Keep Warm, Keep Well campaign in 2006-07 was around 500,000. The campaign materials were provided freely to the national health service and other stakeholders for use in their own winter warmth activities with vulnerable people.

Maternity Services

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the recommended ratio of professional midwives to women in labour wards is in hospital maternity units;
	(2)  what the recommended ratio is of professional midwives to  (a) mothers and  (b) babies in (i) delivery suites and (ii) post-natal wards in hospital maternity units.

Caroline Flint: No such ratios have been recommended. The birth to midwife ratio varies throughout the country and is dependent on a range of factors including the model of care, the care setting and the skill mix of the work force. Local organisations should identify an appropriate ratio based on the needs of their local population. Work force planning tools are in place to support this locally.

Maternity Services: Heavitree Hospital

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incident forms were submitted in the maternity unit, Heavitree Hospital, Exeter in each month since January 2006.

Andy Burnham: This is a matter for the Chair of Royal Devon and Exeter NHS foundation trust. We have written to Ms Angela Ballatti informing her of the hon. Member's inquiry. She will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Medicine: Education

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has assessed the impact of standardising medical education across Europe on medical training standards and patient care in the UK.

Rosie Winterton: The General Medical Council, which has the statutory responsibility for standards of undergraduate medical education, is considering the implications of the proposals outlined in the Bologna process for the creation of a European higher education area.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 24 April, on nurses' pay and mental health services in Worcestershire.

Andy Burnham: The reply was sent on 24 May 2007.

Mental Health Services: Sandwell

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding was provided to Sandwell Mental Health NHS and Social Care Trust in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: National health service trusts do not normally receive funding from the Department, but receive income from the provision of services from commissioners, principally from primary care trusts.
	The figures in the table represent the total income including all income from activities and all other operating income for the respective years.
	
		
			  Total income   000 
			  Black Country Mental Health NHS Trust( 1)  
			 2001-02 27,426 
			 2002-03 30,233 
			  Sandwell Mental Health NHS and Social Care Trust  
			 2003-04 38,019 
			 2004-05 42,870 
			 2005-06 46,047 
			 (1 )Sandwell Mental Health NHS and Social Care Trust was established on 1 April 2003. The Black Country Mental Health NHS Trust was the predecessor Trust.  Source:  Audited summarisation schedules of the named NHS trusts 2001-02 to 2005-06.

Methadone

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many methadone prescriptions were dispensed in the community in each year since 1997; and what the net ingredient cost was of those drugs in each year.

Caroline Flint: The total number of methadone hydrochloride prescription items dispensed in the community in England since 1997, and the associated net ingredient cost (NIC) is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Methadone hydrochloride 
			   Items dispensed ( Thousand )  Net ingredient cost (000) 
			 1997 1,163.2 10,668.2 
			 1998 1,192.7 10,757.4 
			 1999 1,225.3 10,494.4 
			 2000 1,269.7 10,476.4 
			 2001 1,318.1 10,798.0 
			 2002 1,428.4 11,727.2 
			 2003 1,614.2 13,764.3 
			 2004 1,810.0 15,991.6 
			 2005 2,044.0 18,946.7 
			 2006 2,277.1 22,037.5 
			  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system

Methadone

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department collects data on the death or injury of third parties as a result of ingesting methadone provided to an addict as a drug substitute.

Caroline Flint: The data are not collected centrally.

Midwives: Insurance

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in assisting independent midwives to establish a system for the provision of indemnity cover.

Ivan Lewis: We are supporting independent midwives to find a method to access indemnity cover, which is clearly in the public's best interests. We have been working with the Independent Midwives Association and other independent midwives since 2004. The Chief Nursing Officer is meeting with key stakeholders to explore what options are available to assist independent midwives. This process is continuing.

MMR Vaccine

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population was provided with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in England in each year since 1997; what the recommended percentage provision of MMR vaccine was in each such year; and what percentage of the relevant population was provided with the MMR vaccine in each primary care trust in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: Information on what percentage of the population that has received measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in England in each year since 1997 is available at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/vaccination/cover.htm.
	The Department recommends that all eligible children are offered the MMR vaccine. Information is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/greenbook.
	The latest information (2005-06) on the uptake of childhood immunisations by primary care trust is published annually by The Information Centre for health and social care and is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/immstats2005to2006/immunexcel/file.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total  (a) staff and  (b) public membership is of NHS foundation trusts (i) in total and (ii) broken down by trust.

Andy Burnham: The total number of staff and public membership of the 32 national health service foundation trusts in existence during 2005-06 is available in the following table. The table is taken from Monitor's Review and Consolidated Accounts of NHS Foundation Trusts 2005-06, which is available from their website at:
	www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk/publications.php?id=960
	There are now 65 foundation trusts. I am advised by the Chairman of Monitor (whose statutory name is the Independent Regulator of NHS foundation trusts) that all foundation trusts must include details of membership figures when they submit their annual plans to Monitor on 31 May 2007. This information will be included in Monitor's report of the consolidated accounts of foundation trusts for 2006-07, which Monitor will publish this autumn. Monitor is under a duty to lay their report before Parliament and send a copy to the Secretary of State.
	
		
			  Membership of NHS foundation trusts 2005-06 
			   Total membership as at 31 March  Of which: 
			  NHS f oundation  t rust  2005  2006  Public( 1)  Staff  Patient 
			 Barnsley Hospital 12,508 12,602 9,670 2,932  
			 Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals 10,062 12,069 7,713 4,356  
			 Bradford Teaching Hospitals 3,485 4,221 1,716 2,248 257 
			 Cambridge University Hospitals 22,397 23,597 8,492 7,296 7,809 
			 Chesterfield Royal Hospital 9,799 13,346 10,189 3,157  
			 City Hospitals Sunderland 7,101 9,129 3,394 4,664 1,071 
			 Countess of Chester Hospital 3,611 4,266 3,739 527  
			 Derby Hospitals 9,647 13,994 6,560 7,434  
			 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals 7,378 7,870 2,327 5,311 232 
			 Frimley Park Hospital 5,841 7,671 6,103 1,568  
			 Gateshead Health 9,121 11,171 7,852 3,319  
			 Gloucestershire Hospitals 15,203 14,609 12,707 908 994 
			 Guy's and St Thomas' 13,490 13,368 2,227 8,317 2,824 
			 Harrogate and District 10,559 13,557 12,798 759  
			 Heart of England 48,141 51,038 40,488 6,800 3,750 
			 Homerton University Hospital 4,544 5,968 4,525 1,443  
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals 9,394 14,592 3,079 5,784 5,729 
			 Liverpool Women's 10,074 10,693 9,806 887  
			 Moorfields Eye Hospital 11,436 11,487 8,882 1,305 1,300 
			 Papworth Hospital 8,156 11,690 11,024 666  
			 Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals 8,685 8,523 5,073 3,450  
			 Queen Victoria Hospital 12,838 12,864 11,833 1,031  
			 Rotherham 5,373 5,502 4,497 1,005  
			 Royal Devon and Exeter 15,184 15,639 10,481 5,158  
			 Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases 4,557 4,612 759 418 3,435 
			 Sheffield Teaching Hospitals 6,505 18,168 1,870 12,823 3,475 
			 South Tyneside 4,526 4,981 2,653 2,328  
			 Stockport 11,535 11,938 8,279 3,659  
			 The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals 13,305 14,990 13,995 995  
			 The Royal Marsden 2,397 4,893 1,080 2,427 1,386 
			 University College London Hospitals 8,592 10,194 543 6,600 3,051 
			 University Hospital Birmingham 96,406 91,961 58,684 7,075 26,202 
			   
			 Total 421,850 471,203 293,038 116,650 61,515 
			 (1 )For a number of NHS foundation trusts, this column shows public and patient figures combined.

NHS Foundation Trusts: Recruitment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much has been spent on employment consultants to recruit members of foundation trusts;
	(2)  how much foundation trusts have spent on  (a) advertising,  (b) publicity and  (c) public consultations since they were established.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department or Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts), and is matter for national health service foundation trusts. However, the annual reports and accounts of individual foundation trusts are publicly available on Monitor's website at:
	www.monitor-nhsf.gov.uk.

NHS: Databases

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the security of each database containing personal details used by the NHS.

Caroline Flint: Historically each national health service organisation has been responsible for the physical and technical security safeguards, and access arrangements, for the very many local databases containing information about patients and NHS staff. These range in scale and scope from trust-wide patient information systems, to ephemeral personal contact lists held by individual members of staff.
	NHS organisations are required to comply with comprehensive guidance on information security standards set out in the NHS information governance toolkit. Performance against these standards by NHS trusts and primary care trusts is collected centrally and monitored for compliance. Legal penalties for individuals and organisations misusing personal health and other information are provided for under section 60 of the Data Protection Act 1998. NHS organisations are responsible, as employers, for the actions taken on their behalf by their employees, and for disciplining their staff when they behave inappropriately. The practice expected of NHS organisations in managing the use and protection of patient information is set out in the document, Confidentiality: NHS Code of Practice, published in November 2003.
	Access to the national systems and services being developed and delivered through the national programme for information technology is determined by the policies, processes and technology provided by the Department's NHS Connecting for Health agency. These include that a user must have a smartcard. Smartcards are issued only after identity and qualifications have been checked under arrangements that conform with the e-Government interoperability framework (eGif) level 3 standards for the registration and authentication of staff. Staff must also be registered as a member of a health care team, for example a general practitioner practice or a clinic, that the patient is registered with or has been referred to, providing that patient with care, and will then only be able to access as much information as is needed for the purpose of their role within the health care team.
	Users are required to acknowledge their acceptance of the terms and conditions under which they may operate, including that smartcard will not be shared, smartcards and logged-on computers will not be left unattended, and conformity with the NHS Code of Confidentiality. Nominated information assurance leads in each organisation ensure the access controls are being adhered to correctly and that no unauthorised access is allowed.
	The security of patient identifiable data travelling over the new NHS broadband network (N3) is further protected using various network security controls, and encryption which ensures the two end points of the communication are valid, speak the same cryptographic language, and encrypts the communication that passes between them. In addition to encryption, the network security controls include each NHS trust, and the national spine database, having a firewall to protect it. The N3 network runs intrusion detection and prevention systems alongside other network management processes. Further, all of the data centres being used for national programme systems meet the highest standards of data centre security as defined by the Communications Electronic Security Group, the information assurance arm of the Government Communications Headquarters. Regular reviews of the end-to-end security infrastructure are also undertaken to identify where industry best practice has changed or technologies improved so that these can be incorporated into the overall system.
	While no system can be 100 per cent. secure, together these safeguards have been devised to provide an unprecedented degree of assurance of security for national programme systems and services, and the personal data they will contain, compared with existing local electronic systems. They are evidence of the very great importance that we attach to protecting the confidentiality of patient information. They contrast sharply with the situation with regard to paper records. As well as often being difficult to read, or inaccessible when they are needed, these are inherently insecure and can be easily lost, as exemplified by a recent case where paper copies of patient information from 2001-02 were found in second-hand filing cabinets.

NHS: Drugs

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products has undertaken research into the effectiveness of regulations on the development and licensing of orphan medicines; and whether there has been an assessment of access to these medicines for patients in the UK.

Caroline Flint: Research findings into the effectiveness of regulations on the development and licensing of orphan medicines are presented in the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) Report to the Commission in relation to article 10 of regulation 141/2000 in orphan medicinal products. It includes an assessment of access to these medicines for patients in the different member states, including the United Kingdom.
	The report concludes that while COMP considers that the current legislation framework for orphan medicinal products is suitable overall to achieve public health benefits for patients suffering from rare diseases, it has identified a number of policy areas that require strengthening. COMP makes six recommendations to stimulate and foster European Union policy and makes three suggestions for action to the European Commission.
	This report is published on the website of the European Medicines Agency under document reference EMEA/35218/2005 at www.emea.eu.int and is available in the Library.

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her written statement of 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 96-98WS, on the NHS Resource Accounting and Budgeting Regime, whether income reductions as a result of the RAB regime in earlier years than 2006-07 will be reversed.

Andy Burnham: The reversals set out in the written ministerial statement of 28 March 2007 are for resource accounting and budgeting (RAB) income deductions applied to national health service trusts in 2006-07 as a result of deficits incurred during 2005-06.
	Under the new rules, an adjustment will be made to the calculation of performance against statutory breakeven duty for RAB income deductions that were made in years prior to 2006-07. This means that NHS trusts will no longer have to generate a surplus to recover any part of their cumulative deficit that arose solely from the application of RAB income deductions.

NHS: Loans

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what rate of interest her Department charges on loans to NHS organisations; and how this rate is set.

Andy Burnham: All long-term loans will attract interest at a rate equivalent to the National Loans Fund (NLF) rate at the date the loan is advanced. The interest rate is determined by reference to the prevailing rate at the date the loan is drawn, as notified on the Public Works Loan Board website, at:
	www.pwlb.gov.uk
	NLF interest rates are determined each night by the Treasury and normally take effect from the start of business on the next working day. Fixed interest rates are based on gilt yields.

NHS: Management

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely effects of the management of the NHS being undertaken by an independent board.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 16 May 2007
	In recent weeks, the British Medical Association has published a report on the issue of greater operational independence for the national health service, and both the King's Fund and the Nuffield Trust are currently engaged in research on this area.
	Since 1997, this Government have already entrenched far greater independence in the NHS. This includes the development of foundation trusts free from Whitehall control; the creation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to provide independent advice to the NHS on the clinical and cost effectiveness of different drugs and treatments; and the institution of the independent Healthcare Commission.
	We will watch the public debate on this topic with interest, and use it in our continuing assessment of the best approach to the relationship between the Department and the NHS.

NHS: Personnel Management

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date  (a) the Information Centre and  (b) her Department became aware that staff records being collected as part of the 2006 NHS Workforce Census were being double-counted; and whether there were similar problems with the collection of data in previous censuses.

Rosie Winterton: The Information Centre identified potential duplication in the non-medical records being collected as part of its pre-publication processing during January 2007. Further work was done to confirm, analyse and establish the scale of the duplication.
	The Department was advised of the duplication as part of normal pre-publication checking processes during March.

NHS: Recruitment

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the change has been in the number of NHS posts since November 2005.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

NHS: Training

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources were made available for the contingency plan to mitigate the operational risks of delivering modernising medical careers in 2006.

Rosie Winterton: The funding allocated for modernising medical careers and medical training application system was sufficient to meet the requirements for the project in year.

NHS: Working Hours

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 1514-15W, on the NHS: working hours, what the full URL is of the monitoring information published on the NHS Employers website.

Rosie Winterton: The full URL is:
	www.nhsemployers.org/pay-conditions/pay-conditions-467.cfm.

Obesity: Children

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many school children in the Easington constituency were classed as obese in each of the last four years.

Caroline Flint: The specific information requested is not collected centrally. However, figures on children's obesity prevalence by Government office region for 2002 to 2004 are available and are published in the Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet, England 2006 publication produced by The Information Centre for health and social care at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/obesity/statistics-on-obesity-physical-activity-and-diet-england-2006.
	Copies have been placed in the Library.

Obesity: Children

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were treated for obesity in Easington constituency in each year since 2002, broken down by age; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Information on children treated for obesity broken down by ages in the Easington constituency is not collected centrally.

Obesity: Hartlepool

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) children and  (b) adults were classified as obese in Hartlepool constituency in each year since 1996; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce levels of obesity.

Caroline Flint: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Data for Hartlepool constituency's obesity prevalence among adults are not available. However the estimated prevalence of obesity can be given for adults in Hartlepool primary care trust (PCT) for the combined years 2000-02. This information is given in the table.
	Data on childhood obesity in the Hartlepool constituency are also not available. Figures on children's obesity prevalence by Government office region for the combined years 2002-04 are available and are published in the Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet, England 2006 publication produced by the information centre for health and social care at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/obesity/statistics-on-obesity-physical-activity-and-diet-england-2006
	
		
			  Table 1:  E stimated prevalence( 1)  of obesity among adults in Hartlepool primary care trust, 2000-02 
			   Percentage 
			 Estimated prevalence of obesity 23.9 
			 95 per cent. lower confidence interval 21.8 
			 95 per cent. upper confidence interval 26.6 
			 Comparison of estimated prevalence for obesity with national estimate(2) (3) 
			 (1) Please note that these data were created from the ward level estimates which can also be found on the Neighbourhood Statistics website. The PCOs were built up from aggregation of best-fit ward data. Since PCOs and wards are not coterminous, this information is not exact. (2) The national estimate is derived directly from the Health Surveys for England 2000-02 (with associated confidence intervals) and therefore is not a synthetic estimate. (3) Overlapping.  Source: Synthetic Estimates of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours at PCO Level, 2000-02, The Information Centre, Neighbourhood Statistics 2005

Obesity: Surgery

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many gastroplasty procedures have been undertaken by the NHS in each year since 1997-98; and what the average cost was of a gastroplasty procedure in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: Data are given in the following table on gastroplasty procedures for 1997-98 to 2005-06. The data are split into two groups: one for where the procedure is for a gastroplasty and the second for where the procedure is on the stomach but the area is unspecified so it could include gastroplasty among other procedures.
	
		
			  Count of total gastroplasty proceduresData for national health service hospitals England, data years 1997-98 to 2005-06 
			  Data year  Total procedures for G24.5 Antireflux operations, Gastroplasty and antireflux procedure, G30.1 Plastic operations on stomach, Gastroplasty nec and G30.2 Plastic operations on stomach, Partitioning of stomach  Total procedures for G30.8 Plastic operations on stomach, Other specified and G30.9 Plastic operations on stomach, unspecified 
			 1997-98 188 35 
			 1998-99 198 58 
			 1999-2000 179 33 
			 2000-01 222 51 
			 2001-02 222 50 
			 2002-03 248 64 
			 2003-04 269 96 
			 2004-05 367 169 
			 2005-06 456 217 
			  Note: The data provided is not related to a count of patients treated. As the question stated, these are data for the number of procedures taking place, and it may be possible for patients to have more than one of the procedure codes attached to their episode. 
		
	
	The costs of gastroplasty procedures are not separately identified or available.

Orthopaedics

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress her Department is making on the tariff for payment by results in orthopaedic hospitals.

Andy Burnham: The Department of Health published the 'Options for the Future of Payment by Results: 2008-09 to 2010-11' consultation document on 15 March 2007. The consultation document puts forward proposals for developing payment by results for specialist services, which includes specialist orthopaedic services. A response to the consultation will be published later this year. Copies of the consultation document have been placed in the Library.
	Departmental officials continue to work closely with specialist orthopaedic hospitals and the specialist orthopaedic alliance. The latest meeting with representatives from specialist orthopaedic hospitals was on 22 May 2007 and with the specialist orthopaedic alliance on 2 May 2007. The Secretary of State for Health and the Minister of State with responsibility for delivery and reform also met with representatives from all specialist hospitals on 22 February 2007.

Palliative Care: Young People

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has for the funding of the provision of palliative care for  (a) children and  (b) young people; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Government will consider the recommendations of the independent review of children's palliative care and their implications for life-limited children and young people in England in the context of the comprehensive spending review. This will be considered in the context of the wider recommendations from the HM Treasury/Department for Education and Skills Disabled Children's Review. The Department is also providing 27 million of extra funding to children's hospice services in England over three years from 2006. The first year's payments were made to 36 providers in October 2006.

Patientline

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent meetings her Department has had with Patientline; what the outcomes were of those meetings; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Since the publication of the bedside televisions and telephones (Patient Power) review group report on 23 February 2007, the Department has met once with Patientline to discuss what further work can be done to reduce the cost of incoming calls. This meeting was commercial and in confidence. Work is on-going to find a solution to the issue of the bedside telephone charges.

Patients: Per Capita Costs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the NHS funding allocation per unweighted head is in 2007-08 in each  (a) primary care trust and  (b) strategic health authority region.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is shown in the following table. This information is given for 152 primary care trusts (PCTs) and 10 strategic health authorities (SHAs).
	
		
			  PCT  2007-08 allocation per unweighted head () 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 1,483 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 1,581 
			 Barnet PCT 1,374 
			 Barnsley PCT 1,537 
			 Bassetlaw PCT 1,348 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 1,230 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 1,185 
			 Berkshire East PCT 1,243 
			 Berkshire West PCT 1,155 
			 Bexley Care Trust 1,339 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 1,509 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 1,514 
			 Blackpool PCT 1,636 
			 Bolton PCT 1,457 
			 Bournemouth and Poole PCT 1,405 
			 Bradford and Airedale PCT 1,444 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 1,632 
			 Brighton and Hove City PCT 1,449 
			 Bristol PCT 1,398 
			 Bromley PCT 1,306 
			 Buckinghamshire PCT 1,168 
			 Bury PCT 1,362 
			 Calderdale PCT 1,415 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 1,160 
			 Camden PCT 1,727 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 1,282 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 1,374 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 1,818 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 1,339 
			 County Durham PCT 1,575 
			 Coventry Teaching PCT 1,466 
			 Croydon PCT 1,359 
			 Cumbria PCT 1,389 
			 Darlington PCT 1,508 
			 Derby City PCT 1,327 
			 Derbyshire County PCT 1,336 
			 Devon PCT 1,318 
			 Doncaster PCT 1,499 
			 Dorset PCT 1,319 
			 Dudley PCT 1,349 
			 Ealing PCT 1,516 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 1,220 
			 East Lancashire PCT 1,490 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 1,248 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 1,396 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 1,401 
			 Enfield PCT 1,432 
			 Gateshead PCT 1,629 
			 Gloucestershire PCT 1,261 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 1,441 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 1,558 
			 Halton and St. Helens PCT 1,586 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 1,626 
			 Hampshire PCT 1,212 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 1,595 
			 Harrow PCT 1,396 
			 Hartlepool PCT 1,600 
			 Hastings and Rother PCT 1,571 
			 Havering PCT 1,384 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 1,586 
			 Herefordshire PCT 1,274 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 1,536 
			 Hillingdon PCT 1,358 
			 Hounslow PCT 1,477 
			 Hull PCT 1,511 
			 Isle of Wight NHS PCT 1,440 
			 Islington PCT 1,956 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 1,407 
			 Kingston PCT 1,280 
			 Kirklees PCT 1,364 
			 Knowsley PCT 1,816 
			 Lambeth PCT 1,812 
			 Leeds PCT 1,422 
			 Leicester City PCT 1,416 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 1,140 
			 Lewisham PCT 1,743 
			 Lincolnshire PCT 1,302 
			 Liverpool PCT 1,788 
			 Luton PCT 1,359 
			 Manchester PCT 1,723 
			 Medway PCT 1,254 
			 Mid Essex PCT 1,150 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 1,626 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 1,201 
			 Newcastle PCT 1,615 
			 Newham PCT 1,714 
			 Norfolk PCT 1,295 
			 North East Essex PCT 1,373 
			 North East Lincolnshire PCT 1,417 
			 North Lancashire PCT 1,406 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 1,337 
			 North Somerset PCT 1,288 
			 North Staffordshire PCT 1,365 
			 North Tees PCT 1,344 
			 North Tyneside PCT 1,497 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 1,238 
			 Northamptonshire PCT 1,269 
			 Northumberland Care Trust 1,404 
			 Nottingham City PCT 1,483 
			 Nottinghamshire County PCT 1,329 
			 Oldham PCT 1,511 
			 Oxfordshire PCT 1,171 
			 Peterborough PCT 1,494 
			 Plymouth Teaching PCT 1,402 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 1,382 
			 Redbridge PCT 1,384 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 1,601 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 1,273 
			 Rotherham PCT 1,480 
			 Salford PCT 1,717 
			 Sandwell PCT 1,554 
			 Sefton PCT 1,556 
			 Sheffield PCT 1,512 
			 Shropshire County PCT 1,268 
			 Solihull Care Trust 1,297 
			 Somerset PCT 1,276 
			 South Birmingham PCT 1,489 
			 South East Essex PCT 1,334 
			 South Gloucestershire PCT 1,143 
			 South Staffordshire PCT 1,234 
			 South Tyneside PCT 1,639 
			 South West Essex PCT 1,337 
			 Southampton City PCT 1,353 
			 Southwark PCT 1,825 
			 Stockport PCT 1,356 
			 Stoke On Trent PCT 1,559 
			 Suffolk PCT 1,227 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT 1,632 
			 Surrey PCT 1,258 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 1,347 
			 Swindon PCT 1,288 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 1,504 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 1,282 
			 Torbay Care Trust 1,464 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 1,843 
			 Trafford PCT 1,405 
			 Wakefield District PCT 1,464 
			 Walsall Teaching PCT 1,526 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 1,531 
			 Wandsworth PCT 1,538 
			 Warrington PCT 1,339 
			 Warwickshire PCT 1,241 
			 West Essex PCT 1,315 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 1,257 
			 West Kent PCT 1,239 
			 West Sussex PCT 1,336 
			 Western Cheshire PCT 1,363 
			 Westminster PCT 1,564 
			 Wiltshire PCT 1,194 
			 Wirral PCT 1,595 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT 1,511 
			 Worcestershire PCT 1,239 
			   
			 England 1,388 
			   
			 SHA  
			 East Midlands 1,305 
			 East of England 1,269 
			 London 1,531 
			 North East 1,551 
			 North West 1,503 
			 South Central 1,220 
			 South East Coast 1,329 
			 South West 1,305 
			 West Midlands 1,382 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,407 
			   
			 England 1,388

Physiotherapy: Manpower

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent physiotherapists there were in each NHS trust in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement on recruitment and retention of physiotherapists in the NHS.

Rosie Winterton: The information showing full-time equivalent number of physiotherapists in each national health service trust in each of the last three years has been placed in the Library.
	Workforce planning is now the responsibility of local NHS employers and strategic health authorities, who need to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of physiotherapists to meet local service needs. The workforce review team are continuing to provide information to support local workforce planners to model their requirements.

Physiotherapy: Training

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers of 23 April 2007,  Official Report, column 970W, on Physiotherapy: training and 20 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 819-20W, on Nurses: training, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that  (a) the number of newly qualified staff meets the number of available posts and  (b) the number of staff training in different specialities meets demand; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The work force review team (WRT) works in close partnership with the Department, strategic health authorities, professional bodies, and a range of other stakeholders to help shape work force strategies and to help ensure the levels of supply of newly qualified staff and the number of staff in training meets the levels of demand locally and nationally.
	The WRT provides a national view of the planning and investment strategies needed to produce a work force with the right skills, in the right numbers, in the right places to deliver the health services that patients want and need in the future.
	The WRT produces reliable data and intelligence about the work force, and their recommendations prepared each year inform local work force planners and provide guidance on the investment of national and local training budgets in work force development.

Pregnant Women: Alcoholic Drinks

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent changes her Department has made to its advice on the consumption of alcohol by pregnant women and by women who are trying to conceive; on what new scientific evidence the changes are based; what plans her Department has to convey the revised advice to pregnant women and those trying to conceive; what consultation has taken place with  (a) the medical profession and  (b) other interested stakeholders about the changes; and when the changes were finalised by her Department.

Caroline Flint: We have just announced that the Department is amending its advice to pregnant women and those trying to conceive, to provide a clearer message. There is no change in the underlying scientific advice.
	The existing advice for women in England is:
	Pregnant women or women trying to conceive should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week and should avoid getting drunk.
	The amended advice is:
	Pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol. If they do choose to drink, to minimise risk to the baby, they should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week and should not get drunk.
	The amended wording is designed to strengthen the message, make it clearer and easier to understand and to provide consistent advice across the whole of the United Kingdom. It has been agreed by the Chief Medical Officers of all four UK countries.
	The Government's message in England is based on the advice of the Sensible Drinking Working Group set up in 1995 and the findings of a review commissioned by the Department in 2005 from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit to review available evidence. The 2005 review did not change the scientific basis of the advice.
	The amended wording recognises that many women already stop drinking alcohol in pregnancy, while acknowledging that an alternative is very low consumption, with re-statement of the previous advice in that context.
	The aim is to minimise any underestimation of risk to the developing foetus from drinking in pregnancy and to help reduce the proportion of women drinking in pregnancy above the sensible drinking levels.
	We are currently consulting the UK alcohol industry on proposals to include a short form of the new message as part of a health message on alcohol labels and containers. This should support future awareness raising campaigns on this issue. The wording we have proposed for labels is:
	Avoid alcohol if pregnant or trying to conceive.

Prescription Drugs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for drugs for the treatment of  (a) allergies,  (b) diabetes and  (c) asthma were dispensed in the community in each year since 1997; and what the net ingredient cost of such drugs was in each case in each year.

Caroline Flint: The number of prescription items dispensed in the community and the net ingredient cost (NIC), from 1997 to 2006, for England, categorised by allergies, diabetes and asthma, as defined by the most appropriate chapters in British National Formulary (BNF), are provided in the following tables:
	
		
			  (a) AllergiesBNF section 3.4 Antihistamines, Hyposensitisation and Allergic Emergencies 
			   Item s (Thousand)  NIC  (000) 
			 1997 6,226.2 35,353.0 
			 1998 6,678.3 42,147.4 
			 1999 7,149.9 49,161.0 
			 2000 7,484.0 54,246.9 
			 2001 8,033.3 59,646.8 
			 2002 8,461.5 65,552.7 
			 2003 8,629.2 65,419.2 
			 2004 8,740.8 62,174.5 
			 2005 8,959.5 50,411.3 
			 2006 9,310.5 (1)49,745.6 
			 (1) The drop in NIC between 2005 and 2006 is probably due to Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) and price changes to generic medicines (Category M). 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) DiabetesBNF section 6.1 Drugs Used In Diabetes 
			   Items  (Thousand)  NIC  (000) 
			 1997 11,497.5 142,585.9 
			 1998 12,695.9 167,037.9 
			 1999 14,201.4 200,977.6 
			 2000 15,924.9 230,327.5 
			 2001 18,119.7 278,577.2 
			 2002 20,305.3 335,689.8 
			 2003 22,302.1 390,567.8 
			 2004 24,487.1 450,567.5 
			 2005 26,491.7 495,272.9 
			 2006 28,439.4 562,479.0 
		
	
	 (c) Asthma (treatment and prophylaxis) BNF sections:
	3.1 Bronchodilators,
	3.2 Corticosteroids,
	3.3 Cromoglicate and related therapy and leukotriene receptor antagonists
	
		
			   Items  (Thousand)  NIC  (000) 
			 1997 35,512.3 466,228.8 
			 1998 36,467.7 498,037.3 
			 1999 36,638.6 519,754.9 
			 2000 36,797.8 528,390.4 
			 2001 37,852.7 563,200.4 
			 2002 38,394.0 594,938.6 
			 2003 38,149.5 627,627.7 
			 2004 38,935.3 685,531.5 
			 2005 39,801.5 722,139.3 
			 2006 40,386.2 768,619.7

Prescription Drugs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescription items were dispensed in the community in each primary care trust in England in each year since 2003; and what the net ingredient cost of such items was in each year.

Caroline Flint: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Prescription Drugs: Internet

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the volume of prescription drugs sold to UK residents over the internet.

Caroline Flint: In the United Kingdom, there are strict legal controls on the retail sale, supply and advertisement of medicinal products. Prescription only medicines (POM) and pharmacy medicines can be sold or supplied at registered pharmacy premises only by or under the supervision of a pharmacist. In addition, POMs may be sold or supplied only in accordance with a prescription from a prescriber, and cannot be advertised to the public. These legal controls apply equally to medicines sold or supplied via internet transactions. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) takes the view that internet sale and supply of medicines are acceptable provided these legal requirements are met, but investigates and, where appropriate, takes enforcement action against suppliers who operate outside the legal requirements. The MHRA do not hold figures, nor has any estimate been made, for sales of POMs to UK residents.

Prescriptions: Easington

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were dispensed in Easington constituency for  (a) methadone,  (b) diamorphine and  (c) anti-depressants in each year since 2002; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Easington constituency has been assumed to be coterminus with Easington Primary Care Trust. This PCT merged with others to form Durham PCT in October 2006 and so separate figures do not exist for Easington PCT after this date. The Prescription Pricing Division maintain only 60 months data in their live systems and so figures are not available for the whole of 2002.
	The following table shows the number of items dispensed in Easington. For methadone all forms (including cough linctus) have been included.
	
		
			   Anti-depressants  Methadone  Diamorph i ne 
			 2003 69,409 1,496 222 
			 2004 71,294 3,207 217 
			 2005 73,831 5,343 158 
			 2006 (January- September) 58,602 5,125 136 
			  Notes: 1.  PCA data Prescription information is taken from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system, supplied by the Prescription Pricing Division (PPD) of the Business Services Authority (BSA), and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community i.e. by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospitals, including mental health trusts, or private prescriptions. 2.  Prescription items Prescriptions are written on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent submissions she has received in support of free prescriptions for asthmatics; and when she expects the findings of the review of prescription charges to be published.

Caroline Flint: The Department has welcomed comments on possible options for changing the current prescription charge arrangements from all organisations that wished to make representations. Between 1 November 2006 and 10 May 2007, 52 representations were received from organisations and individuals advocating free prescriptions for asthmatics.
	We have undertaken to report to Parliament before the summer recess 2007.

Pupils: Eating Disorders

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what materials her Department provides for schools and youth groups to help teachers and staff talk to pupils about eating disorders;

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 23 May 2007
	I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 6 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1918W.

Rehabilitation Centres: Young People

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) name and  (b) location is of each dedicated residential rehabilitation unit for adolescents with addiction problems.

Caroline Flint: There are 23 residential services in England for young people who have or have had substance misuse problems, covering a range of services from short-term crisis intervention centres to long-term interventions for young people with multifaceted needs. Within these 23 services there are four specialist residential drug and alcohol services. Information about these services is as follows:
	
		
			  Name of service  Location  Age covered 
			 The PROMIS Recovery CentreResidential addiction rehabilitation centre Nonington, Kent 14-18 
			 CompanionsIntensive rehabilitation treatment programme Eccleshall, Staffordshire 14-18 
			 Middlegate Lodge12 week residential programme Caistor, Lincolnshire 11-17 
			 Godden Green ClinicTreatment tailored to individual need Sevenoaks, Kent 12-18 
			  Note: These are all listed in the National Treatment Agency's (NTA) Directory of Residential Services for Young People.  Source: http://www.nta.nhs.uk/areas/young_people/Docs/Young_people_directory.pdf

Sex: Health Education

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on  (a) public education about healthy sexual relationships especially for young people and  (b) advice on recognising abusive behaviour in the last 12 months.

Caroline Flint: Improving the nation's sexual health is a key Government priority.
	5.5 million was spent in the 2006-07 financial year on the two teenage pregnancy media campaigns: 'RU Thinking?' which promotes messages on delay and avoiding peer pressure for younger teenagers; and 'Want Respect: Use a Condom' which promotes a safe sex message to older, sexually active teenagers. In addition, schools deliver positive sexual health messages through their delivery of personal, social and health education, although it is not possible to disaggregate how much of a school's overall budget is used for this purpose.
	'Condom Essential Wear', which was launched in November 2006, had a spend of 5.5 million in the financial year 2006-07.
	These campaigns are part of a joint communications strategy between Department for Education and Skills and the Department.
	The media campaigns do not focus explicitly on recognising abusive behaviour. However, 'RU Thinking?' in particular aims to enable young people to take control of their relationships and to recognise that it is okay to say no to situations that leave them feeling uncomfortable.

Smoking

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the guidance provided by local authority co-ordinators of regulatory services on implementation and enforcement of the smoke-free regulations.

Caroline Flint: In March 2007, guidance on the implementation of smokefree legislation was published by Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS). The purpose of the guidance is to support local council regulatory officers in successfully implementing smokefree legislation to be enforced in England from 6 am on Sunday, 1 July 2007. The remit of LACORS is to provide advice and guidance to help support local authority regulatory and related services.
	The guidance on smokefree legislation was developed by LACORS and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, in consultation with the Department and other organisations. The guidance was also shown in advance to Smokefree England Ministerial Reference Group members, and received only minor comments. We understand the guidance has been well received by local councils.

Smoking

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of smokers being treated for smoking-related illness in the NHS.

Caroline Flint: Figures are available and provided on the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) in national health service hospitals for those aged 35 and over with a primary diagnosis of diseases that can be caused by smoking and estimates of the number of those FCEs attributable to smoking.
	Table 1 shows the number of FCEs for those aged 35 and over with a primary diagnosis of various diseases that can be caused by smoking and estimates of the number of those FCEs that can be attributed to smoking. Figures have been provided for 2004-05, as this is the most recent year for which data are available. It is acknowledged that not all of the FCEs included in the table will be attributable to smoking as there are other contributory factors to these diseases. Therefore, the relative risks of these diseases for current and ex-smokers, compared to non-smokers have been used to estimate smoking-attributable FCEs.
	
		
			  Table 1: Finished Consultant Episodes (FCEs)( 1)  among adults aged 35 and over( 2) , with a primary diagnosis of diseases that can be caused by smoking, and the estimated number of these FCEs that can be attributed( 3)  to smoking as a percentage of all admissions from that disease, 2004-05( 4) , England 
			  Number/percentage 
			  Diagnosis (ICD 10)  Observed FCEs( 5)  Attributable number( 6)  Attributable percentage 
			  All diseases caused in part by smoking 1,573,395 559,800 36 
			 
			  Cancers caused in part by smoking 335,707 172,400 51 
			 Lung 89,547 75,800 85 
			 Upper respiratory sites 18,614 12,900 69 
			 Oesophagus 38,484 26,200 68 
			 Bladder 78,177 30,500 39 
			 Kidney 12,132 3,400 28 
			 Stomach 28,639 7,300 25 
			 Pancreas 22,967 6,000 26 
			 Unspecified site 17,244 6,300 37 
			 Myeloid leukaemia 29,903 4,200 14 
			 
			  Respiratory diseases caused in part by smoking 315,927 177,300 56 
			 Chronic obstructive lung disease 176,294 147,300 84 
			 Pneumonia 139,633 30,000 21 
			 
			  Circulatory diseases caused in part by smoking 636,226 158,100 25 
			 Ischaemic heart disease 419,513 106,200 25 
			 Peripheral Arterial Disease 18,797 15,800 84 
			 Cerebrovascular disease 169,584 24,200 14 
			 Aortic aneurysm 15,457 9,500 62 
			 Myocardial infarction 2,802 600 21 
			 Atherosclerosis 10,073 1,900 19 
			 
			  Diseases of the digestive system caused in part by smoking 59,765 26,400 44 
			 Stomach/duodenal ulcer 41,879 22,200 53 
			 Crohn's disease 15,205 3,000 20 
			 Periodontal disease 2,681 1,200 46 
			 
			  Other diseases caused in part by smoking 225,770 25,500 11 
			 Age related cataract among those aged 45 and over 127,111 15,500 12 
			 Hip fracture among those aged 55 and over 85,641 9,200 11 
			 Spontaneous abortion 13,018 700 6 
			 (1) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Figures do not represent the number of patients, as a patient may have more than one episode of care within the year. (2) Figures have been presented for adults aged 35 and over unless otherwise specified. (3) More information on the methodology used to calculate these estimates are available in the Statistics on Smoking: England, 2006 publication produced by The Information Centre for health and social care, which is available in the House Library. (4) The data include private patients in NHS hospitals (but not private patients in private hospitals). (5) Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data. Observed admissions only includes those where gender was recorded. (6) Estimated attributable number, rounded to the nearest 100.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). The Information Centre.

Smoking

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on enforcing the maximum yield legislation for cigarettes in each of the last five financial years.

Caroline Flint: Cigarettes are tested regularly by Arista Laboratories in Kingston-upon-Thames on behalf of the Department. They measure the maximum yields of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide as required by the European Union Directive on the manufacturing, presentation and sale of tobacco products. Details of departmental spending on the testing contract cannot be disclosed for reasons of commercial confidentiality.

Smoking

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were referred to smoking cessation services in each of the last five years, in each NHS trust area; and what estimate she has made of the number of people who stopped smoking after using those services in that period in each NHS trust area.

Caroline Flint: The specific information requested is not centrally collected. Data for referrals to smoking cessation services are not available. However, we can provide information for the number of people who have set a quit date through the NHS Stop Smoking Services in England and of those, how many people had successfully quit smoking at the four week follow up (based on self report).
	Figures have been included for the number of people who have set a quit date and for those who successfully quit annually from April 2001 to March 2006. Provisional figures for the period April 2006 to September 2006 have also been provided. Figures for the period April 2001 to March 2002 are provided by health authority and regional office areasthis information is given in table one. From April 2002 data have been provided by government office region (GOR), strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT)this information is given in table two.
	Table one showing People setting a quit date and number successfully quit at four weeks, by regional office area and health authority, 2001-02; and table 2 two People setting a quit date and number successfully quit at four weeks, by GOR, SHA and PCT April 2002 to September 2006, have been placed in the Library.

Smoking: Brent

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of Brent Primary Care Trust's decision to change the funding allocation to smoking cessation services; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Brent Teaching Primary Care Trust received a specific allocation of 334,000 for their national health service stop smoking services for each of the years 2006-07, and 2007-08. However, it is for the PCT to decide how best to spend these provide the service.

Smoking: Clubs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the smoking ban on private members clubs; and what representations she has received on the matter.

Caroline Flint: Costs and benefits associated with smokefree legislation are included with the regulatory impact assessment published by the Department, which includes reference to the hospitality industry.
	Members clubs have been consulted at all stages of consideration of the Health Act 2006 and its implementation. We continue to work closely with organisations representing members clubs in the run-up to the implementation of the smokefree provisions of the Health Act 2006 on 1 July 2007. The General Secretary of the Committee of Registered Clubs Association is a member of the Smokefree England ministerial reference group that provides a forum for direct and regular contact on implementation issues between the Department and key stakeholders.

Smoking-free Regulations

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations representing religious faiths she has consulted about the Smoke-Free (Signs) Regulations 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department ran a full 12-week public consultation on the smoke-free regulations to be made under powers in the Health Act 2006 between July and October 2006. This was an open public consultation, and the Department encouraged all interested parties to respond.
	Department officials recently met representatives from the Church of England, the Churches Main Committee and the Association of English Cathedrals regarding smoke-free legislation. Department officials have also offered meetings to other faith groups. The Department has published a fact sheet on signage requirements for places of worship, which has been made available to churches throughout England and is also available on the Department's Smokefree England website at:
	www.smokefreeengland.co.uk/files/churches-signage-factsheet.pdf

Surgery

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis is for the statement on page four of her Department's report Saws and Scalpels to Lasers and Robots, published on 17 April 2007, that greater specialisation in complex cases could result in local hospitals being able to carry out 80 per cent. of planned surgery, with 20 per cent. of cases being carried out in more specialised centres.

Andy Burnham: In that part of his report, Professor Sir Ara Darzi set out his vision for surgery and gave his view of the proportions of planned surgery which might be carried out either locally or at specialised centres in the future. He was giving his expert judgment based on extensive clinical experience.

Tomography: Kent

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many CT scanners are operational in Kent.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect information on the operational use of the computed tomography (CT) scanners. However, as at January 2007 there were 12 CT scanners installed in national health service trusts in Kent.